The Legend of Zelda: The Rebel Sailor
by jacktheratrix
Summary: The mystical Triforce has long been forgotten, Hyrule is caught under the reign of a tyrannical king, and one sailor dares to stand against the monarch. When he realizes the evil has deeper roots than everyone thought, will he be able to save the Hyrule he knows and loves? [LinkZelda]
1. Prologue

I (obviously) don't own anything related to LoZ. Thank you to Nintendo for their awesome series.

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 **The LEGEND of ZELDA: The REBEL SAILOR**

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Long ago; ages before the discovery of black powder…

There was a kingdom where a golden power lay hidden.

It was a pleasant land blessed with peace and tranquility.

But a day came when a man of unsurpassed evil discovered the golden power.

Emboldened and substantially augmented by its mystical strength,

He sought to rule the kingdom, summoning minions and monsters to enforce his will.

Darkness spread across the land, consuming every hindrance in its path.

Going into hiding, the princess of the kingdom issued a desperate plea in the form of a magical call.

Months went by, and some say years…

...

Eventually, the people of the kingdom saw their doom closing in, and all hope was lost.

Finally, the call was answered, and the Chosen One appeared, wielding the legendary blade of evil's bane.

The Chosen One defeated the Evil King and restored peace to the land.

The Dark One routed, seven wise sages divided up the golden power into three equal parts, creating the mythical Triforce.

They bestowed the Triforce of Wisdom upon the princess, and they bestowed the Triforce of Courage upon the Chosen One.

Taking the final piece, the Triforce of Power, they locked it in an enchanted chest, magically sealing it with their combined power.

The sages then chartered the kingdom's greatest builders to create a temple; a fortified temple so complex and dangerous that no one would ever be able to reach its innermost room.

Then, before the temple itself was sealed, the seven wise sages locked the chest in that innermost room and destroyed the key.

As the centuries passed, the old kingdom was forgotten, and the Triforce and the Temple of Power along with it.

They survive only as a legend passed on generation after generation.

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 _A/N_ _\- And so it begins. I'm sure you all saw the resemblance to Wind Waker's intro. I wanted to have a prologue like so many other Legends of Zelda, and my favorite is the one from WW. I also originally wanted to make this part into a video so it could have fitting music, but oh well. The next chapter will be up very soon._

- _Jack_


	2. Lone Survivor

_A/N - Welcome to the adventure! This story will be slightly gritty and intense as it proceeds, so i hope y'all will get hooked!_

 _\- As i'm sure you realize, i don't own anything Zelda related._

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Though she knew it was mid-afternoon, one could not tell the time of day by looking at the sky due to the thick fog that blanketed the coast. From their perspective on a bench at the edge of the sand, she and her brother were able to see the entirety of Ordon Bay.

"Zeyde, the very reason we come out to Ordon and the coast is to escape our political lives and get some peace and quiet. Please, can we discuss His Majesty another time?"

"His Majesty? He's our uncle, Zelda. the mere fact that he demands us refer to him formally in even the most informal of occasions is significant of a problem. Can you not see that he has changed? The man we once knew is all but gone. Even father can see it. Why do you refuse?"

"Zeyde," she looked at him pleadingly, her bright blue eyes searching his for a sign of relent. After a moment, he sighed and shrugged, shaking his head slowly.

"I'm sorry. It's just, I'm afraid of the future," he explained, gazing past the sandy beach of Ordon, out over the gray waves, and beyond the limits of the small Ordon Bay, "and Uncle Ghirahim's behavior has somewhat startled me of late." The two royal siblings shared a moment of silence, each deep in their own thoughts. "Do you remember the time when he had a commoner sent to the gallows for stealing bread for his starving family? I could understand maybe a spell in the stocks or something of the like, but the hangman's noose? He rules with an iron fist, Zelda. Hyrule was once a peaceful land where the punishment fit the crime. Also, the mere fact that the people are starving is a sign. Can't you see that we need new leadership? Father would never rule this way. Ghirahim's taxes crush the people's spirit. Half the farmers can't afford them and end up having to give up most their harvest; you know this. Why must your turn your head and choose to ignore their suffering?" This time, Zelda didn't respond so quickly. They were both absentmindedly watching a brig sail around the southwest cape of the bay and head toward the harbor, gliding smoothly over the gray waves.

"Zeyde, Uncle Ghirahim is a fine King. Criminals are criminals, dear brother. Besides, the people were born into the common class; they are not the same as us. We musn't worry about their troubles, we're better than them. His Majesty is still the kindly, white haired old uncle we've always known." As she looked from the sea and back to her brother, another ship seemed to materialize from out of the fog, and Zeyde could see that she wasn't completely convinced by her own words. The ships were probably a mile or so off still, but they were able to tell that the brig bore the Hyrulean crest upon her sails; the mythical golden Triforce set in a red circle. They could not tell what the second ship was yet, and their minds were deep in thought regarding their family's political status.

"Zelda, have you not met a commoner? They're not as different as you might think. I can't help it, but i _know_ i would steal bread if my family was starving. I..."

"Zeyde."

"I'm serious Zelda," he said, looking at her. His eyes pleaded with her to agree. She sighed.

"I know, but..." She drifted off, not able to find the correct words. "It's not the same," she said, still troubled. Suddenly, a deep BOOM rang out across the bay, followed by another, and another. Momentarily, the vicious crack of small arms fire carried to them over the waves. Both the young nobles looked out across the water, alarmed. The second ship had caught the brig, and was now firing upon it. They could just make out the flag it flew: a lone white cutlass on an otherwise blank field of black.

"Pirates," Zeyde whispered. They watched as the two ships engaged one another in combat from their spot on the beach. The pirate ship, now evident as a galleon, far outgunned the smaller brig, and shortly, the forward mast of the navy ship lurched violently and toppled sideways across the two ships. At this point, a few Ordonians who had heard the cannonfire ran up from behind, joining Zeyde and Zelda, and looked out anxiously, hands shielding their eyes.

"Goddesses..." Zelda breathed, astonished at the sight of the massive mast crashing down across both ships' decks. After the few onlookers had been watching in horrified silence for another couple minutes, the brig suddenly keeled severely to one side, and it was evident that the pirate galleon had won the day.

"Oh, Gods…" whispered a woman standing beside Zelda.

Zeyde reached inside his coat and produced a small spyglass. He rose to his feet, and extending it to its length, he peered through it out at the ships. He always brought it with him when he and his sister came to the coast in case there were any whales breaching.

The two ships had drifted much closer, and Zeyde was able to see the goings on fairly well.

"The pirates are boarding the brig," Zeyde whispered.

"What will happen to the crew?" Zelda asked breathlessly. She had never witnessed a naval battle before, nor had she ever considered what might become of the men who lost such a battle.

After a few seconds, Zeyde looked back at her disdainfully for a moment. "It's a battle. The losers die!"

"No, no, i mean after the battle, the survivors. What happens to them after they surrender?"

"Ah." Zeyde considered this. "Well, either the pirates will murder them in cold blood or perhaps throw them overboard i suppose. Oh you know what? They probably take some of them and hold them for ransom. I've heard of that before," he continued. "Wait, the pirates are leaving the other ship now, and quite hastily at that. I say, two of them are carrying a great chest! They've taken no prisoners..."

They watched for a couple minutes in silence, still shocked at the sudden outburst of violence. Soon, the rogue galleon was distancing itself from the now-sinking brig. Then, it vanished into the fog, and only the stricken navy ship remained, nearly capsized over her port side.

"I can hardly believe that we just witnessed that," Zelda said, still breathless. Zeyde remained quiet however, still peering through his spyglass out at the wreckage. After he had been silent for nearly a minute, Zelda looked up at him.

"Zeyde?" she prompted. After a moment of silence, she tried again. "Zeyde... Zeyde what is it?"

"I think there's someone swimming toward us."

"What?" Zelda asked, surprised. Zeyde did not answer, however, since he knew she had heard him. Not able to hold back her curiosity, she stood up as well, stepping forward and straining at the gray waves to see if she could spy a person beyond the surf. After a few moments, her efforts rewarded her with a glimpse of two heads bobbing above the water. One was abnormally white and slippery looking; almost bearing a blue tint. The other head was covered in dirty blonde hair, though obviously it was slicked to the head from the water. The two were coming closer now, breaching the breakers and coming to shallower water. Then, the white being was carrying the man through the surf. Both Zeyde and Zelda gasped as the rescuer came out of the water.

He had massive fins on his arms and even hanging from his head. He was naked and completely white; his skin looked almost like a fish's scaly skin. In his eyes, no whites or irises were visible, only the black of pupils.

"A... Zora?" It was Zeyde. Both he and his sister stared in awe. Neither of them had ever seen a zora in real life; they had only heard tales of them. In his arms was a bloody sailor. The man hung unconsciously in the zora's arms. The zora looked up at them and back down at the hylian in his arms. He strode up the beach to where the water didn't reach and set the sailor down.

"Care for this man," he commanded quietly. Zeyde and Zelda both simply gaped at the zora as two Ordonian villagers took off through the sand to reach the wounded seaman. The white being then retreated to the waves and vanished beneath the bay. The mystical zora gone, their attention finally switched to the unconscious man lying supine in the sand. They rushed forward, Zeyde one step ahead. The sailor was clad in the uniform of the Royal Navy, wearing a loose white poet shirt belted under navy blue canvas pants. Normally he would have had a thick red cotton jacket to complete the uniform, but obviously his had been discarded at some point.

"Farore... Look at his head," a man was saying as Zeyde and Zelda arrived to examine the man. There was a gash in his scalp from which crimson seeped into his already saturated hair, and a deep wound in his shoulder. In the instant when she first gazed upon his visage, Zelda found it to be, despite the grime and blood and sparse golden beard, a very pleasant face. Doubtlessly, his facial hair had grown during his time at sea. His features were well defined and his ears were pointed like that of the hylian minority; like Zelda's and Zeyde's.

"We should take him to Mayor Bo at once," a heavy-set woman said, glancing up at the other man kneeling beside the sailor.

He nodded emphatically, "Good idea, Sera. You run ahead and let him know I'm coming, and I'll carry this poor fellow there." The woman named Sera then rose to her feet, picked up her skirts, and ran by Zelda and Zeyde who were standing a few meters back. So the man scooped up the unconscious sailor in this arms and began to carry him back up the beach.

"Excuse me, mister," the man said as he approached Zeyde and Zelda. Zeyde glanced subtly at Zelda to see that she was drawing breath to scold the man for not referring to them by their titles, but he shook his head faintly, gesturing to her attire. Then she remembered that there was no way the stubby Ordonian could know that they were royalty, since they disguised themselves as peasants on their coastal excursions. She stood seemingly frozen in her spot as the Ordonian drew close.

The unconscious sailor moaned softly as the Ordonian passed by, and Zelda's right hand suddenly felt warm. Confused, she looked at it, and saw that her strange golden tattoo glowed faintly, but as abruptly as it had begun, it ceased, and the Ordonian continued to trudge through the sand further up the beach. Shaking it off as an illusion, Zelda hurried to catch up with her brother, who was following closely.

As they reached the end of the sand and began passing into the village proper, they encountered a few more people watching the stricken brig slip beneath the waves, and staring curiously at the unconscious man being carried through the village.

"Zeyde," Zelda said quietly, laying a hand on her brother's shoulder.

"What?"

"This man is none of our business. I think that he will be taken care of well by the Ordonians. I wish you would leave them alone so we can go…"

"Are you kidding? That soldier just survived a pirate attack! and did you not see his ears? Hylians are getting rarer and rarer, are you not interested to know who he is?" Zeyde brushed her hand off his shoulders and turned to keep following the man burdened with the sailor. Reluctantly, Zelda followed her brother. Momentarily, they were approaching a slightly larger house than the others, and the door burst open just as they were drawing near. Out of it came the woman named Sera followed closely by a man.

"Jaggle! What have we here?!" The Mayor of Ordon spoke as loudly as he was large. Stepping down off his porch, he regarded the unconscious sailor in Jaggle's arms.

Behind Jaggle, the man who had borne the sailor up from the beach, and around the two royals, a small crowd had gathered, all curious about the wounded man.

"Will anyone allow this navy man to bed in their home until he is conscious again and can be on his way?" The immense Mayor searched the inquisitive faces before him, but no one spoke up. After giving the Ordonians a few more seconds, he shrugged. "Well, no matter then, he can rest and recover in my home."

"By Din's Fire, it's Link!" One man who was peering extra closely at the unconscious seaman shouted, and at this declaration, the Ordonians all reacted. Most uttered brief outcries and attempted to get a closer look, while others simply sat back but looked bewildered. Zeyde and Zelda for their part just shot one another a confused look, then gazed back at the villagers and gave them space.

"Nayru's Love, it _is_ Link!" a woman confirmed the other man's revelation.

"After all these years, he's finally returned," one man said excitedly from Zelda's left.

"I never would have recognized him with a beard," another mused.

"He's changed so much," a young woman beside Zeyde murmured.

Zelda stepped closer to Zeyde and got up on her tippy-toes, reaching her mouth up to whisper in his ear. "Can we please go? I feel uncomfortable being amongst these…"

"People?" Zeyde shot back quietly. She sighed, but didn't move to leave.

"Please Jaggle, bring him to my home," the man who first recognized the sailor was saying. The shorter man nodded and began to follow the first. The crowd including the vast mayor also followed the two men, all talking excitedly amongst themselves.

"Zeyde, can we _please_ be on our way now? It's getting later, and we really should be back in castle town by dark," Zelda begged her brother quietly. After a few seconds' hesitation, the prince conceded and began to head back to where they had tethered their horses, off of the east road from Ordon.

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 _A/N - Well, that's the beginning of the adventure. This story is going to take place in a Hyrule very similar to 17th century England. I am trying to make it as historically accurate as possible, but I'm sorry to those of you who know a lot more than me about this time period, because researching it is difficult, so i'm doing my best. I wanted to try out a time period that i haven seen done, and i think this has major potential, and i hope you'll end up liking it! Please feel free to review and if you're feeling ultra generous, favorite/follow as well, but hey: that's on you!_

 _If you're a writer, then you know how good it feels to get reviews; that way you know what people think._

 _Constructive criticism is welcomed._


	3. Implicit Death Sentences

The morning after her and Zeyde's latest excursion to Ordon Bay, Zelda had been in the royal library looking for answers about the strange tattoo on the back of her right hand. Her mother had always insisted to her that it was just that — a symbolic tattoo that her grandmother had asked to have put on her hand as an infant. The reason her mother gave never went any deeper than that; as a matter of fact it seemed as though whenever the young princess had asked about it, her mother had always basically blown her off, always suddenly coming up with something else that she had to be attending to. As the princess had thought about it there in the library that day, she had realized that the reason her mother gave really didn't make much sense at all.

Digging into the books in the Royal Library, she found one or two ancient books that spoke of something called a Triforce. Of course there were tales that people told their children about an ancient golden power and an evil man and a hero and a princess, but those were just myths. In one book she had even found a roughly drawn image of it, and it bore uncanny resemblance to the tattoo on her hand. As she had stared at the golden image in the book, she had remembered vividly how hers had grown warm and had begun to glow, even if it was ever so briefly.

She was still utterly confused as to why it suddenly reacted when it had never done so before. Still, she wasn't even sure that she hadn't just imagined it. After a solid two hours of research, she had still found nothing definitive or detailed enough to warrant any excitement, so she had left the library feeling somewhat morose. She had decided that she would go back to her room in the castle and work on her harp playing to try to forget the bizarre experience and her tattoo in general.

Her path to her quarters, however, took her past a back door to the King's smaller throne room where he took care of the trivial everyday business of running a kingdom. As she passed the door, she nonchalantly looked into the room, and noticed a dark haired navy man bowing before her uncle's throne. In light of what she had witnessed the day before, she had suddenly become very interested, and stopped, hiding just to the side of the doorway, straining to listen to the conversation between Ghirahim and the sailor.

"You may rise, seaman. What is your problem?" the king had asked.

"Your Majesty," the sailor had begun, "yesterday another one of our scouting brigs was sunk by pirates. So far we know of no survivors. It was the HRNS Loftwing this time." The King had practically scoffed.

"I'm sorry to hear that, sailor," the gaunt monarch had stated, insincerity evident in his tone. "Guards, escort this man out of the castle. Who's next?" As the guards had begun to move toward the exit however, the navy man had stood still, his facial expression betraying his anger.

"With all due respect, Highness, do you plan on doing anything about it? It is now the fifth one to go down in the past two weeks! All to the same ship, too. Survivors of past encounters say a man called Captain Zant leads the crew. His ship is a galleon; how hard would it be to send one frigate after him to crush him? I'm sure Admiral Eagus would be more than happy to — "

"You are far too bold, seaman," the king had interrupted, rising from his immaculate seat. "How dare you question my authority! I could have you burned at the stake for such an insult to the crown!" At the King's outburst, the navy man had visibly shrunk back. A sly grin came over the monarch's thin lips. "But today I am feeling quite generous, so I will only sentence you to 18 hours in the pillory." At this, the sailor's — and the hidden Zelda's — jaws had dropped.

"Eighteen hou — "

"Silence you insolent sea rat! Guards, take him to the dungeon for questioning before I change my mind. Oh and if you insist, I will be even more generous and send a messenger to Admiral Eagus to tell him to send Captain Auru and his crew after this dreaded Captain Zant you speak of."

"Wait! No! Please!" The sailor had begged, but Zelda had heard him being dragged out of the small throne room. After that, she had silently moved on, terrified by the display of tyranny, and locked herself in her quarters, thinking about the young man who had been brought ashore by a zora. A zora!

But that was four days ago now, and she was on one of her secret outings again. This time however, she was only venturing into Castle Town, but she was still clad in her commoner disguise. She wore a simple cream colored underdress beneath a long brown skirt and a clearly cheap corset type top with a long cloak draped over all. She kept the hood up over her head so that it was more difficult for her to be recognized.

She was just leaving the marketplace in Castle Town when she realized something. She backtracked a few meters, then glanced up to her left. On a slightly raised platform, the seaman she saw the other day in the throne room stood rather awkwardly, slouching against the pole of the pillory, hands and neck stuck inside. Confused, she gathered her courage and began to approach the man. Before she drew near to him however, she cast glances in all directions to make sure a guard wouldn't recognize her. Satisfied that there weren't any dangerously near, she stepped forward until she was standing before the platform.

She looked up at the poor man for a couple seconds in silence. His eyes were closed, he reeked of excrement and rotten vegetables, and his lips were severely chapped. Then his eyes snapped open and he stared at her, causing the princess to jump slightly.

"Well, if you're gunna throw something, throw it will ya?"

"I—I wasn't going to—" she started, caught off guard by his question, but then, remembering the other day, she asked him what she had meant to ask him. "How long have you been here?"

"Huh? Oh, the guards put me in 'ere… ehhh… three days ago I reckon," he said, his speech slightly slurred.

"Godesses… Have you had anything to eat at all?"

"Plenty. Rotten tomatoes seem to be the most popular thing on the menu," he stated dryly. She sighed.

"Not what I meant," she muttered. "Real food; have the guards given you sustenance?"

"Them? No. I reckon that bastard king ordered them to leave me for dead. Seems to be his favorite pastime; sending people to their deaths," the sailor said weakly. For a moment, a slight temper rose in her when he called the king what he called him, but then her temper rose more when she realized that the "eighteen hour sentence" had turned into four days, whether intentionally or not. "But there was one man," the navy man said after a few moments of silence, "who came and gave me bread and water, even when the guards yelled at him not to. One of them even threatened him yesterday, but he gave it to me anyway. If it weren't for him, i might as well be starvin' to death."

"What is this man's name?" the princess asked.

"Wouldn't tell me," the sailor responded, his throat sounding parched. Then the man seemed to think of something. "Pointy ears," he said, feebly attempting to point at his own head with a finger. Suddenly the young navy man from the other day's face sprung into her mind's eye, blood seeping into his soaked hair and down over his face, mingling with his sparse blonde beard. His strong jaw line was passing through her mental vision when the captive spoke up again. "And speakin' of sending folks to their deaths," he paused, his face contorting into a grimace. "He's done it again. That pirate, Captain Zant, he's a ruthless one. They say he sails a seventy-five gun galleon. Captain Auru, the man who that king is sending to fight Captain Zant, commands a fifty gun galleon. He's sending him and his crew to their deaths, he is. There is no way that old Auru's galleon could take down Captain Zant. Like I say, old Ghirahim is knowingly sending HRNS Divine Beast to its demise. They're leaving tomorrow. Supposedly Captain Zant and his ship, _Volvagia,_ were spotted off the coast of the Faron Peninsula day before yesterday. But i say that HRNS Divine Beast will meet its doom against _Volvagia_ ," the exhausted sailor said, repeating himself.

The princess thought for a moment, a question rising to the forefront of her mind. "Wait, King Ghirahim isn't the commander of the Royal Navy, so why doesn't the general of the navy make his own decision?

"It doesn't work like that. Sure, Ghirahim might not be the commanding officer over the entire navy, but he is the king, and his word goes." The sailor took a shaky breath. "No matter how foolish it is." He looked up at Zelda again, and recognition flickered in his tired blue eyes. "Say, aren't you Princess… uh…"

"What? No! No i— i'm just…" Zelda stuttered, cutting him off.

The sailor gave a wry grin. "You don't have to lie to me, Your Highness. I won't tell a soul." The princess sighed and her lips curved into an uneasy grin.

"How do you know all this?" Zelda asked, almost revealing that she had been eavesdropping on his "meeting" with King Ghirahim.

"The pointy eared fella. He told me. Says he's goin' with Captain Auru." At this, Zelda's thoughts once again strayed to the man who the zora had rescued. What had the Ordonians said his name was again? Link? Her heart quivered at the idea of that young man going knowingly to find the pirate who had so easily destroyed HRNS Loftwing. Such courage... "Says he has to avenge HRNS Loftwing and retrieve the... something or other," the ensnared sailor continued, almost drunkenly. "But I says that Auru's ship, HRNS Divine Wolf, is gonna meet the bottom of the sea on her next voyage." Zelda shuddered, feeling pity for her fellow hylian. At least she wanted to believe it was simply pity. Suddenly commoners didn't seem so bad. The Ordonians had taken the wounded sailor in in a heartbeat even before they had known of his identity. This poor man was locked up for hardly any reason other than trying to get his ruler to protect his navy for four days in a pillory. The longest pillory sentence she had ever heard of before this was ten hours. Did Ghirahim truly not care about his subjects?

"What is your name, sailor?" the princess asked, pushing that last question out of her mind.

"Pipit, Your Highness," the seaman managed.

"And how did you know who I was?"

He coughed a dry, racking cough. "I glimpsed you in the castle the other day. Your face is not one i'll soon forget, Princess," he said, grinning shakily in spite of himself.

The princess blushed. "Well Pipit, let me see if I can get you out of here," she said quietly, scanning their surroundings once more. Many people were traversing the marketplace going about their own business, and no one even seemed to notice they existed in their corner of the vast square. There were four guards in the marketplace, one standing at each of the four entrances. None of them were looking even remotely in her direction.

Turning back to the man secured in the pillory, she examined the side where it was locked. Holding the top board and the bottom board together was a padlock. She took hold of it to look at it closely, and as she bent to examine it, her hand began to feel warm. Startled, she turned over her hand, and saw that her triangular tattoo was once again glowing.

"What are you doing?" the soft voice caught Zelda off guard, and she jumped, suddenly releasing the lock. She could practically see the guard behind her, his spear trained on her back. Then she regained her composure and decided that if he demanded it of her, she would reveal herself and then declare that she was setting this man free.

"This seaman has served his time. I am releasing him," she said with conviction.

"For some reason I don't think the guards would agree with you, miss. I would advise that you at _least_ waituntil nightfall," the voice said calmly.

Confused, she turned around slowly. Standing before her was not a guard, but a man wearing a white poet shirt under a green leather jerkin, and canvas pants. She looked up ever-so-slightly and her eyes were greeted by a thin blonde beard upon a well-defined jaw line, above which piercing blue eyes scanned her. She immediately took a slight step backward, her hand still radiating warmth, but fading. Suddenly, she found herself picturing this young man crossing blades with a terrifying mental image of a pirate.

At her hesitance, he gestured for her to move sideways, so he could give Pipit the half loaf of bread that was in his hand. She hurried to acquiesce and moved aside, shaking the image out of her head.

"How ya faring today, Pipit?" Link asked.

"Parched," came the weak reply.

"Well, here's some bread at least. Miss, can you feed this to him? I'm going to go fetch some wa—"

"I told you not to feed the convict!" The shout came from their left, just past a shop called Bazaar. Link and Zelda whirled to face the voice, and saw a guard hustling toward them, spear brandished out in front of him.

"Stay behind me, miss," Link ordered, stepping out in front of the princess. Then he raised his hands to shoulder height to show the guard that he had nothing in his hands.

"I told you yesterday that I'd be forced to take action if you tried to feed the malefactor again! Why can't you get it through your thick skull?" he yelled, coming to a stop some feet in front of them. "I guess I'll just have to put it on the end of my spear and stab it through your eye socket and into your puny brain for you, you damn peasant," the guard threatened, glancing down at the hanger belted to Link's hip. Then, to the surprise of both Link and Zelda, the guard actually lunged forward and jabbed the spear at Link's head. Link simply swayed his head to one side however, easily avoiding the attack. The guard growled, poised for another strike. Then he did, but this time it was aimed more at the young man's chest. Again, Link sidestepped it, but this time, he suddenly gripped the spear with his own hands, spun, yanking the spear from the guard and throwing an elbow at his head. Link's elbow made contact with the man's temple just beneath his helmet, the guard's neck twisted, and he fell like a bag of bricks.

Zelda stood behind him, shocked. "Did you just kill him?!"

"No, I only knocked him unconscious," he said quietly. "We're going to have more company though," he said, gesturing toward two more guards who were running through the square toward them. Due to the crowded nature of the marketplace however, they were having a slightly rough time of it. Swiftly, he stepped forward and bent down to the unconscious guard laying on the floor of the cobblestone square. He reached to the man's hip and tore a large key ring off his belt. "Try these keys and get Pipit free," he ordered, turning and tossing them to the hooded girl.

She caught them and turned to unlock the pillory as Link prepared to face the two oncoming soldiers. One of them wielded a spear like the first, and the other brandished a basic rapier.

The Hyrulean guards wore black knee length leather boots over white canvas pants, belted over a royal blue shirt and protected by a simple iron breastplate. On their heads, they wore morions topped off with blue and green plumage.

The two guards advanced on Link, and he held his newly acquired spear out in defense.

He glanced behind him and saw that the hooded girl was raising the top plank of the pillory, freeing Pipit. Behind them, he noticed a small alleyway leading back behind the shops from the very corner of the square. Turning to face the soldiers, he called back to the girl. "Take Pipit and run! Get out of here and keep your identity unknown so the soldiers can't track you down! I'll hold them off!" Then the first guard was on him and he sidestepped a rapier thrust.

Zelda cast a glance back over her shoulder as she practically carried the stiff and weak Pipit out of the marketplace, seeing Link engage the guards. He fended them off expertly with the awkward spear, ensuring their escape. She found it odd that he chose not to draw his sword.

The surrounding citizens cleared a sizable space for the little skirmish, excited about the action, and secretly hoping that the underdog would triumph over the tyrant's soldiers. As Zelda helped Pipit around a corner in the alley, she saw Link deliver a powerful blow to the jaw of one of the guards, sending him toppling over.

Internally, she rejoiced at the fact that she had remained anonymous in this, even though she had finally been convinced that her uncle was truly an evil ruler. How could he have changed so much without her noticing? Only the week before, she had still been completely loyal to the throne, but after seeing the destruction of the HRNS Loftwing as well as hearing the desperate plight of the navy regarding Captain Zant and Ghirahim's utter apathy toward their upsetting situation, her confidence in his worthiness to rule was wavering dramatically.

As she helped Pipit over the threshold of the Castle Town Inn far from the marketplace, she remembered what he had told her. _Like I say, old Ghirahim is knowingly sending HRNS Divine Beast to its demise,_ he had said. If Zelda didn't know any better, she would almost think that the king _wanted_ Captain Zant to continue his reported rampage.

The man clearly did not care about the welfare of his navy, if this was true. But how could a man be so evil? No, this sailor was exhausted mentally and physically, and his memory could very possibly be impaired. Most likely, Captain Auru led a ship that could easily do the job, otherwise her uncle wouldn't have sent him to do it. Also, no man in their right mind would willfully join a ship bound for its demise as Link was supposedly doing, would they? And as she had clearly seen, Link _was_ in his right mind.

These questions swirled about in her tired brain as she dropped some green rupees on the counter in order to rent Pipit a room in the back of the inn. To her surprise, however, a large brown hand pushed the currency back across the counter.

"Word gets 'round fast in Castle Town, Mistress. I know what you've done," the vast woman behind the counter said sternly. Zelda's eyes opened wide, suddenly fearing that the innkeeper would turn her and Pipit in to the Hyrulean Guard. But then the woman's lips curved up in an immense grin. "We support any and all resistance to the tyrant here," she said, albeit quietly. "Just don't tell the guards, hmm? They seem to be in old Ghirahim's pocket, every last one of 'em." The woman winked as Zelda's nerves slowly calmed back down. "The name's Telma, darlin'. You and Pipit 'ere can take the back room. No charge, of course. I'll have my barkeep show you to your room and bring him some food and water momentarily, as I'm sure he's dyin' fer some."

Never before had Zelda interacted so closely with commoners. In her past jaunts from the castle, she had only come out to Castle Town to escape the oppressive restrictions of courtly life, and had kept very much to herself.

"Gorman! Show these two to the back room and then fetch them anything they ask of you. Oh, and it's all on the house," she commanded. A scrawny man who had been delivering tankards of what appeared to be milk to customers seated at tables hurriedly made his way to the two newcomers, his pointy mustache practically bouncing.

"Of course, Telma," he muttered. "This way, Miss." So Zelda followed the pale man, with Pipit leaning heavily on her shoulder; he seemed as though he would collapse at any moment. Shortly, Gorman stopped before a door and depressed the thumb latch above the handle, pulling it open. He swept his hand into the doorway, gesturing for them to enter. Zelda helped Pipit through the door, then he gratefully stumbled to the bed and crashed onto it.

They had only ascended one flight of stairs to get to the room which they now occupied and the only window it featured looked down upon the dead end of a back alley. Its shutters were currently ajar, admitting a cool breeze. Gorman left the room to go fetch them food and water, and Zelda sank thankfully into the cushion of a vast chair beside the bed.

"I should get back to the castle, do you think the guards will find you here?" Zelda asked, reclining and looking up at the ceiling. After a moment of silence, she glanced at Pipit. He was already asleep, lying on his side. She sighed, her thoughts returning to Link, the young man who had somehow survived _Volvagia's_ slaughter of HRNS Loftwing, and now planned on joining Captain Auru's crew in its voyage purposed to engage that very ship. Pipit must have been mistaken when recalling the size of Captain Auru's ship, mustn't he have? Ghirahim wasn't completely indifferent to his navy's struggles, was he? The princess sighed again, banking on the hope that poor Pipit's thoroughly sleep deprived mind had mixed up Captain Auru's ship with another captain's galleon, and maybe his befuddled mind even felt as though he had been out in the pillory for three days when his sentence had actually only begun the day before. Zelda hoped beyond hope that this was the case, remembering her Uncle Ghirahim as she had known him when she was a small child. She wanted to think that he was a fit ruler, and that he could be trusted with the commonwealth of Hyrule. Her father's older brother had always seemed like he loved her and Zeyde, but could it have been that her child's mind had seen what it wanted to see?

She rose from her seat, preparing to go back to the castle. She would tell Telma that she had to go, but she would ask the innkeeper to take care of Pipit until he had recovered.

"Excuse me, Miss."

Zelda stopped in her tracks when she heard the voice. It came from behind her. She knew the voice. It wasn't Pipit. She had heard it for the first time earlier today. It was Link. She turned around.

There he was, sitting, straddling the window sill. Set upon his handsome features was a look of relief. No, she wouldn't allow herself to think that way. He was a stranger and a dangerous one at that, she tried to convince herself, remembering the way he had handled the guards in the marketplace.

"How did you know where to find us?" she asked breathlessly as her heart did a little flutter. He cast a glance at Pipit.

"Well, you came this direction, and I knew that if anyone would know, it'd be Telma, so I came here to ask her," he explained calmly.

"And what of the guards?"

"I lost them," he said simply. It was then that she noticed his arm. There was a large, bloody rip in his billowy white sleeve.

"Oh, you're hurt!" she moved to his side in an attempt to get a closer look at his arm. Suddenly, her hand grew hot again.

"It's fine," he said. "Just a scratch. I wanted to make sure you two were safe, but I need to get to the coast. HRNS Divine Beast sets sail at dawn tomorrow. I'll barely make it as it is," he said, turning to get to the window. Then, remembering something, he stopped short and turned back around. "My Lady, before I go, I wanted to ask your name."

She hesitated, her eyes locking with his. In her mind's eye, she saw HRNS Loftwing's front mast lurch and then saw it sinking. She came to a decision.

"Tetra," she said, almost in a whisper.

"Tetra?" he repeated. She nodded, swallowing. "Miss Tetra, my name is Link Forester, and I hope to see you again," he said, flashing a smile. Then he began to step over the window sill.

"Wait Link!" she called, taking a step forward. He halted abruptly, his bright blue eyes locking with hers again. She was silent for a few seconds. "How many guns does HRNS Divine Beast have?"

He furrowed a brow, confused at her seemingly pointless question. "She is a fifty gun galleon." Slowly, her eyes widened.

"What's wrong, Miss Tetra?" Concerned lined his features.

"I just… Pipit said that _Volvagia_ has seventy-five cannons. How can you possibly hope to emerge victorious?" Her eyes searched his.

"The number of guns does not win a battle, Miss Tetra. Besides, _Volvagia_ doesn't have seventy-five guns."

"Oh," she murmured.

"She has ninety."

"Oh Din," she whispered.

He took a deep breath and grinned at her. "I will see you again, Tetra." And he swung his second leg over the side of the sill, and let himself down. After a few seconds of silence, Pipit spoke up.

"Really? _Tetra_?"

She looked at him guiltily. "I couldn't bring myself to reveal my true identity yet… I don't know him well enough," she said sheepishly. "I really must get back to the castle before I am missed." Pipit simply closed his eyes again.

She turned to the door, and strode to it. Then Gorman was in the doorway, and they nearly collided.

"Begging your pardon Miss," he said, embarrassed. "Here is the seaman's food and water." He held up a tray with said provisions on it, and Zelda motioned him by.

"Yes yes," she said distractedly, "leave it there on the table." She gestured to a table beside the bed, and left the room.

* * *

 _A/N - Leave a review if you dare!_


	4. To Windfall

_A/N - Welcome back folks. Things are just revving up!_

* * *

The sun was resting on the wooded western horizon as Link trotted out of Castle Town astride his glossy chestnut mare. He had had no trouble on his way out of town; he had kept to the back alleys and had kept his face tucked deep within his cloak's hood. Now as he embarked on the relatively short journey to Windfall up in Eldin Province, Hyrule's main port town, his thoughts remained focused on the face of one man: Captain Zant. He scowled and gritted his teeth as his mind conjured up an image of the dead-white face of the evil pirate for what seemed to be the thousandth time in the last three days.

Link had been in the crow's nest prior to _Volvagia's_ attack. The pirate vessel had appeared as if from out of nowhere, and though he shouted down to the deck hands of its presence as soon as he spotted that foul flag emerge from the fog, the evil galleon had begun firing upon them before they could think to respond.

As far as he knew, Link hadn't even seen most of the battle, but HRNS Loftwing never stood a chance. He had attempted to get to the deck as quickly as he could, but climbing down the shrouds was never fast, especially when the entire vessel was trembling with the reception of cannon fire. When Link was approximately halfway down to the deck, a round of chain shot struck the mast near its base, and he found himself clinging to the shrouds of a mast that was toppling over like a felled tree. Then, to make matters worse, a stray lead ball had caught him in the shoulder, jerking him violently and causing him to lose his grip. The last thing he remembered was having let go of the mast and plummeting toward the deck.

The _next_ thing he remembered was waking up in Rusl's house. Rusl, Uli, and Colin. Wonderful people. Thinking of the Ordonians was almost enough to put a smile on his face, but even still, in his mind's eye, the image of Zant's face staring him down all the way from the pirate's own forecastle pervaded all other thoughts. The yellow eyes… How had Zant even known to look at him? Link had been looking through his spyglass, and still Zant had been staring right into his eye. He shuddered, trying to shake the memory from his head.

He looked about, finally done being absorbed in his thoughts. The road that headed west from Castle Town crossed a short stretch of plain before winding through the Kokiri Forest where a small, childlike folk were said to have lived once upon a time. Around midway through the woods, the road forked, one road heading northwest and one turning southwest. When the northerly road exited the Kokiri Forest, it forged across the vast Western Hyrule Field bearing west-northwest. Finally, the road entered the Goron Range, heading west between the stony crags. Of course, the last time anyone actually saw a goron was two score and three years ago. Once the road was finished weaving through the mountains, it spat out at Windfall, a pleasant town settled on the southern banks of the mouth of the Zora River.

When Link arrived at the fork in the road, the last remnants of deep blue were fading to black in the western sky. Luckily, there was a bright waxing gibbous hanging in the sky off to his left, and it shed enough light for him to get by, so he didn't need to get out his lantern and waste oil. The Woods to his left and right were dark, but he wasn't afraid of them. The most dangerous thing they boasted was a wolf or bear here and there, but neither of those would bother him whilst he rode Epona. Most wolf packs stayed in the more southerly portion of the vast forest, in and around the Faron Province. Up here in the Kokiri Forest, they were few and far between.

As he turned to follow the more northerly road that would lead him up through Western Hyrule Field and through the Goron Range and to Windfall, his ears picked up a faint horse's gait separate from Epona's somewhere behind him. He chose not to make any sudden movements; not to give away that he knew of its presence. For all he knew, it was another traveller, but something told him otherwise. There weren't many people who would ride through the midst of the Kokiri Forest at night. Although he knew it was safe, many others were simply intimidated by the fact that it was deep and dark. For some reason, he had always felt at home in the forest.

With this in mind, his hylian ears perked and listened intently, even as he and Epona both acted as though nothing at all were amiss. The strange gait was soft, and it was evident that the other rider wasn't trying to catch up with Link as fast as possible _,_ if they were indeed in pursuit.

The next moment, however, the sound vanished, as if it had never emanated from behind him at all. Confused, Link waited, still guiding Epona at the same trot he had been holding the entire journey so far. Perhaps the other hoofbeats had just momentarily synchronized with Epona's gait and were muffled behind him. He continued, listening intently for another sound - any sound at all - coming from behind him. After waiting patiently for an easy five minutes, he cautiously turned his head and torso and glanced back. Nothing. He was on a fairly long straightaway, and was able to see nearly fifty meters of road behind him, and in the dim light of the moon, nothing moved.

Feeling slightly uneasy, he swiveled back around to face forward; his ears still straining to hear something other than Epona's hoofbeats. For a long time, there was nothing, and he finally began to relax, thinking that he had possibly imagined it in the first place.

After about an hour and a half, the trees stopped abruptly, and the road stretched out across Western Hyrule Field before him, curving slightly to his right to head in a more northerly direction. Beneath him, Epona trotted out onto the grassland, her hooves loyally thumping out a two-beat rhythm.

Behind him, there was still nothing but silence to be heard.

He sat astride Epona, gazing across the vast field he was crossing, his eyes resting upon the distant Goron Range. Finally, his mind eased and drifted from dark thoughts to the face of a pretty young woman.

"Tetra," he whispered to himself, rolling the name over his tongue. Her expression when she noticed the slit in his bicep came to his mind, and he smiled grimly. _If i ever see her again,_ he thought, _i'll be grateful._

Just then, scuffling off to his right caught his attention. He looked that way. Stalhounds. Was he worried? Nonsense. He had grown up destroying these. The beasts looked far scarier than they truly were. Two skeletal wolves finished digging themselves out of the ground and stalked forward silently. Epona turned to face them, and reared up on her hind legs, whinnying. Link urged her forward, and she leapt to a gallop, easily trampling the frail monsters into pieces.

The sailor then directed his steed northwest, and continued the gallop, Epona trampling any Stalhounds that decided to appear in her tracks.

Shortly, he was passing Lon Lon Ranch which was situated in the middle of the grand western plain.

In his haste to cross Western Hyrule Field, Link never once glanced behind him to see if anyone was following him.

When he was nearing the end of the roughly thirty mile trek across the plain via the road, Epona was finally beginning to show signs of tiring. It had only taken them about an hour to reach the edge of Western Hyrule Field and the border to Eldin Province, but she had been galloping the entire time, not to mention that she had been trotting for a few hours before that. When he reached the foot of the Goron Range's crags, Link dismounted and led Epona into the mountains, one hand on her reins, and one on the pommel of his hanger style sword.

He strode down the road between steep mountain sides and rocky cliffs, his mind once again straying to the girl from the marketplace. Her striking blue eyes had looked distant when she had first turned and saw his face in the square. He wondered what she could have been thinking about. He remembered the look on her face when he had answered her question about HRNS Divine Beast's gun count.

"How _will_ we defeat Zant?" he asked himself quietly. He sighed, his spirits sinking. He didn't have to do this. He wasn't a part of Captain Auru's crew. He could stay on shore and it wouldn't change a thing. But then he remembered why he had to go. The filthy pirate had acquired the map. That's why he had attacked them in the first place after all, wasn't it? He hadn't actually seen _Volvagia's_ crew loot the chest from HRNS Loftwing since he had been unconscious, but the brig had been destroyed, and Zant wouldn't have let the map sink to the bottom of Ordon Bay aboard the Loftwing. He knew he had to take the chest back. He didn't fully believe the map's revelation to be true, but if the old man named Rauru was right, then he couldn't let it fall into the wrong hands, and if Zant was actually looking for it, then he was most _definitely_ the wrong hands.

Suddenly, his mind snapped back to the present as he realized that he could hear another set of hoofbeats somewhere behind him again, and again, they were almost the same as Epona's, just a tiny bit off. Of course, this time Epona was only walking, but still, the foreign set of hoofbeats was nearly identical all the same. From his position on the ground, Link tried to think of a way to look behind him without it being obvious, but nothing came to mind as his grip subconsciously tightened on the handle of his sword. If it was truly an enemy, however, why would they have waited this long? Link had been alone for his entire trip. After a moment, he decided that if it as an enemy, he might as well turn and face it, and if it was not, then finding out could do no harm.

With this in mind, he stopped Epona, and gently pet her nose once. "I don't like it when people follow me quietly in the middle of the night," he said easily loud enough for anyone on the mountain road to hear, then he turned around, and faced his potential pursuer. This time, however, there was indeed a figure sitting astride a horse some twenty meters behind him. Just like Link, he was draped in a cloak with a deep hood concealing his face (not that Link could have made it out at this distance in this lighting anyhow).

"That's perfectly understandable," a gravelly voice carried to Link from the man east of him on the mountain road, "but I'm glad you waited this long to confront me about it. You see, I have a couple more pals coming from Windfall to help me complete my job, so had you discovered me sooner, I would have been forced to dispatch you all by my lonesome."

Link's hanger flew into his left hand, brandished in the cool night air.

"Ah. So eager to meet your end, are you? Well I must apologize, but I myself am not quite ready. You see, my friends should be along any minute now, and it sure would be a shame to kill you without their participation."

"I don't know who you are," Link called out, "or why you want to kill me, but I'll tell you this: If you attack me, I'll be forced to defend myself."

"Well yes, that is to be expected," said a deep, clear voice from west of Link.

"Yeah, it would simply be no fun for us if you just laid down and let us kill you," came another voice from the west.

"Ah, Groose and Sakon, how kind of you to join us," said the first man and initial pursuer as he dismounted from his horse. "Link, my name is Igos. My… associates and I have been hired to dispose of you."

"Well, since you're going to kill me, it doesn't matter if I know the name of who it is that wants me dead, does it?" Link quipped.

"I suppose not," Igos said, letting a pause hang in the air for a moment as though he was about to reveal a name to Link. "But I very much like to keep secrets, especially when I can see that it aggravates someone in the way it will aggravate you not knowing who wanted you dead when you know you're about to die. Gents? Let's earn our wages, shall we?"

The two men west of Link moved in on him quickly, one drawing a rapier and the other brandishing a thicker cutlass. The man wielding the cutlass took the lead and advanced on Link, going on the offensive with a flurry of strikes. They were slow, however, and Link had no problem parrying the advancement. After letting the bigger man have his way for a few moments, the young sailor stopped retreating and stood his ground, still easily catching the mercenary's blade on his over and over. Then suddenly he was on the offense, and the bigger man - was it Groose that Igos had called him? - nearly stumbled back. Shortly, Link found an opening in Groose's defense and exploited it, gouging a deep hole in the brute's left shoulder. The man shrieked, dropping his blade to the dirt and stumbling backward, clutching at his quickly blood-soaked shoulder.

Immediately the second man, Sakon, was upon him. Sakon's form was nice at first, but it was clear that his bark was far worse than his bite. Link's slightly heavier sword easily overpowered the little man's rapier, and Link was quicker than him, and the sailor overpowered him very quickly. In a flash, Link disarmed the man and delivered a strong forward kick square in his sternum, sending him sprawling. Behind Sakon, Groose was rolling around on the ground, still crying about his shoulder.

Link turned to face Igos. "Perhaps it would have been better for your cohorts if you would have just taken me yourself."

"Perhaps…" came the man's voice, disdain evident in it. Then Link heard quick footsteps behind him.

He whirled around just in time to react and swayed to the side of a lunge, holding his blade out in front of him. Sakon plowed right into Link's sword, impaling himself down to the hilt. He cried out pitifully as Link wrenched his hanger out of the man's gut, blood pouring out with it. Sakon staggered backward, his hands clutching the wound just beneath his diaphragm and agony written on his face. He stopped stepping back and stood uneasily for a moment. Then, he plummeted forward, falling flat on his face. After that, he was motionless.

Grimly, Link turned to face Igos once more. "Well? Come earn your wages, then." After a moment of hesitation, Igos strode forward, drawing a sword strikingly similar to Link's own.

"As you wish," the man muttered, accelerating and closing the distance between them very quickly. Link met him with a strong defense, but the attacker's tenacity drove him backward. After a minute or so, however, Link had grown accustomed to Igos' style. He quit retreating and held his ground, like he had done against Groose. Speaking of Groose, the man lay whimpering a few meters off. Igos, unlike Groose, did not give ground so easily and thus the two reached a stalemate, the ringing of their blades echoing off the crags. After what seemed like five minutes of fighting, Link began to edge into an offensive style. Igos took one step back, then another. Finally Link had him on a full retreat, desperately parrying the sailor's lightning fast blade. Getting Igos where he wanted him, Link went through a series of moves to setup his disarming move. The way Link's blade moved, Igos had no choice but to put his sword just where Link wanted it to be. The young sailor began his mental countdown. He was four more strokes away. Three more. One more. His sword grated against Igos' smoothly and he wrenched the weapon from his opponent's grip, flinging it aside. In another two strides, he had Igos on his back, and he pressed his razor sharp blade against the man's throat.

"Tell me who wants me dead," Link commanded, his heart pounding in his ears. In the moonlight, Link saw the man's eyes flick down to the sword and then back to his face.

"You couldn't kill me, boy. You don't have it in you."

"You're willing to stake your life on that?" Link asked, his voice dark. Igos hesitated.

"Of course. I have it from a reliable source that you're a gutless coward."

"A reliable source, you say?"

The bounty hunter nodded. "Yup. My employer."

"Well you'd better spit out his name or i'll prove him wrong."

"Not a chance."

"Oh?"

"Yeah, you heard me."

Link narrowed his eyes, his blade still resting on Igos' throat. "Pick up your sword."

"What?"

"I said pick up your sword!" Link shouted, suddenly kicking the man toward his hanger. The man-hunter stumbled to his feet and picked up his sword.

"You're foolish, boy; giving me another chance. You're a dead man now," Igos sneered, moving forward. But Link was exceptionally angry, and attacked the older man viciously. He drove Igos back toward the wall of a low cliff off the northern side of the road.

"If you won't tell me who hired you," Link growled through gritted teeth, "then you're of no use to me!" He maneuvered to a step where he could get inside Igos' defenses, then found his opportunity and plunged his blade into the man's chest, running him through and shoving him up against the wall of the bluff. "What do you say now, you old fool? I _told_ you that i would defend myself," Link reminded him. The bounty hunter simply groaned loudly and collapsed to the side, Link's blade sliding out of his chest.

The young sailor took a deep breath, and hung his arms down limply. Igos coughed one last sputtering cough, and died.

Link then turned to the wounded Groose. The big man was still blubbering about his shoulder.

"Groose," Link said, striding toward him menacingly. The pathetic man looked up at the sailor. Link stopped in front of him. "Who s —"

"It was the king!" Groose whimpered, practically begging Link not to hurt him more.

"The _king?_ How does he even know who I am?"

"He didn't tell us. He only told Igos that he needed you dead and gave us the money," the bounty hunter explained pathetically.

"He already gave you the money?"

"Yes, its in Igos' saddlebags."

"That idiot... Alright Groose, here's what you're going to do. You're going to go back to Ghirahim —"

"I can't go back there! If I go back as a failure then he'll kill me!"

"Yeah? Well I'll kill you here and now if you don't," Link said, a distinct edge in his voice. "Besides, you're going to go to him and tell him that you succeeded and that i am dead. Who knows? I might _actually_ be dead by the end of tomorrow."

"Why would that be?"

"Old Ghirahim couldn't know this, but i'm going with the galleon he is sending to confront Captain Zant. It's basically a suicide mission, but i'm going anyway."

Groose's brow furrowed. "Why would you ever do that?"

"You would never understand," Link said frankly. "But that doesn't matter right now. If you go to Ghirahim and tell him that you alone survived the confrontation with me and that you killed me, perhaps he'll reward you more, or perhaps he won't. But you won't get a single green rupee for your troubles until you go and tell Ghirahim that you've disposed of me. Once you've done that, you can come back to Windfall to get your 'wages'. I'll leave them with the innkeeper there."

When Groose reluctantly agreed to Link's terms, the sailor simply left him and took the sack of rupees from Igos' saddlebag. Moving back to where his horse was standing calmly, he mounted Epona again. His hanger in its scabbard once more, he nudged the chestnut mare's sides and she was off at a trot again…

* * *

He must have fallen asleep on Epona's back, because he jerked awake suddenly and it was light out. His back ached slightly from the awkward bent over position of his inadvertent nap. He found himself on the main street of Windfall, some forty meters from the docks. The familiar smell of salt air penetrated his nostrils and in a second or two he was wide awake. The air was brisk but not cold. It was very early, but a handful of residents went about their morning routines.

He was intimately familiar with Windfall, as he had spent much time here since he had joined the navy. The medium sized town had one main street that the road from Castle Town turned into. Off of it, little alleys and smaller streets branched off leading to various places such as Mrs. Marie's little schoolhouse, Mila's father's massive house, and Zunari's shop.

When the main street hit the sea, it turned into an immense, long pier where great warships were moored. At the waterline though, the street also branched off perpendicularly into one street running along the waterline. On the inland side of the street, shops were lined up, and the street ran north about one hundred meters to a smaller north dock and south about one hundred meters to a medium sized south dock.

Link dismounted Epona and led her to the town's stable which was owned and operated by Malon, an attractive young woman with flowing auburn locks. Since her father passed away ten years prior, she had assumed ownership of it and she ran it well. When Link arrived at the front door to the stable's office which also happened to be Malon's house, the door was not open yet, so he raised a fist to knock on the door but hesitated. He and Malon had a... complicated history. Regardless, he couldn't take Epona with him on the Divine Beast, so he rapped solidly on the door three times. He took a few steps back and waited. He heard some shuffling inside and a tired voice attempting energy emanated from within. "Be there in just a moment!" Then as he heard a bolt slide free of its lock and the door begin to swing open, she was speaking again. "Sorry, we aren't technically open just yet —" Her voice cut off the moment she saw Link's face. "Link?" she breathed. He began to formulate a response when she flung herself onto him with a tight embrace. "Oh, Link! When i heard about the Loftwing i feared the worst!" She pulled back from him and looked him in the eyes, her watery gaze shifting from one of his to the other. "We heard there were no survivors!"

"Malon," the sailor said quietly, breaking contact with her. "Please. I just need you to take care of Epona for me."

"What? Where are you going now?"

Link's eyes were locked on a groove in a cobblestone between them. He couldn't bring himself to answer her.

"Link?"

"I..." he started.

"The Divine Beast. You're going with them," she said in understanding, her eyes widening. The young man's eyes flicked back up to hers, a slight cringe on his face. "No! How dare you come back here and show me that you're alive and just to leave me again on a suicide mission! You can't do this!"

"Malon please," Link said, looking around them. Her voice was so loud compared to the otherwise serene coastal morning. He was sure other people would hear her. "I'm sorry. Honestly. But you are the only person i trust with Epona. Afterall, you know her best..." They were both quiet for some time. Link's jaw clenched with the slight awkwardness, his eyes once again inspecting that crease in the cobblestone.

"I'll take care of Epona," Malon finally said. Link released a breath.

"If i don't return or if you hear about the Div —"

"Shut up." She put a hand on his shoulder. "You have to promise me that you'll come back. For me," she added.

"Malon," Link said, wincing slightly. "We aren't... you know..."

The girl sighed. "I know," she said.

" I can't promise; I'm sorry," Link whispered. He stuffed Epona's reins in her hand and turned to the horse. "Epona..." He stroked her muzzle and put his forehead gently against her cheek. He stroked her neck and turned his head back toward Malon. "I'm sorry," he repeated, taking steps backward. Then he turned and walked away.

He was midway through town when he heard small footsteps scamper up from behind him.

"Link?"

The sailor turned around at the voice. "Ivan!" It was the leader of the Killer Bees gang.

"Link! You're alive! Did anyone else from the Loftwing make it?"

"No," Link replied softly, his eyes downcast.

"Oh," the boy's excitement dwindled. "Y'know," he began again, "I heard Malon raising her voice earlier, so i snuck out of my bedroom window and went to go check on her. When i saw you, at first I wasn't sure that it was you, and then when i was sure, is still didn't _believe_ it was you. But wait," the boy went on, "I didn't think you and Malon were... you know..."

"We aren't." Link said. "We're still friends though."

"Oh gotcha, so where're ya going now?"

"I need to go give this sack of rupees to Emma over at Happy Hearth Inn, but I also really need to be getting to the HRNS Divine Beast. Ivan, do you think you could take this to Emma for me?"

"Definitely! But wait, why do you need to get to the Divine Beast? Are you going with them to defeat the pirates?!" Link almost chuckled in spite of himself. The boy's optimistic outlook was heart-warming, if nothing else.

"Yes, and they will be setting sail soon."

"Yeah i'll take the rupees over to Emma for you, you go kick that Zant's backside for me!"

"I will," Link said with a warm smile and handed the sack over to the boy. "Thanks Ivan! Tell her to hold on to the rupees for a beefy guy with big read hair, ok?"

"Not for you?"

"They're for a friend of mine," Link lied.

"Oh gotcha! Ok, big red hair, you got it Link; it's nice to know you're alive!"

As the boy turned and ran in the direction of Emma's inn, Link turned and once again began to make his way toward the docks. Ivan was a good kid with a well-meaning heart. He and his little Killer Bees gang were once somewhat of a menace in the streets of Windfall, but after Link had gotten a hold of them, they had straightened out. That was years ago now. They had come a long way.

* * *

As always, Admiral Eagus' Ship-of-the-Line, HRNS Din, along with a couple larger high-end galleons were anchored at the main dock. HRNS Divine Beast was moored at the south pier next to another galleon and a brig. At the dock located one hundred or so meters north of the main dock, two frigates, HRNS Darunia and HRNS Fierce Deity were anchored. Even as he urged Epona on to the southerly wharf where HRNS Divine Beast was moored, a brig nearly identical to HRNS Loftwing glided smoothly into the port. Link's stomach turned slightly as he remembered his old vessel. But this ship was not the ship which he so loyally served on for 5 years. This ship was HRNS Zeffa, whose captain Link had gotten to know fairly well over his time in the navy.

Captain Smith was an older man who always had a long and full white beard. In his prime, the man had been a renowned swordsman, but his old age made him a seasoned strategist. He was a close friend to Admiral Eagus and had befriended Link in a heartbeat. Link hadn't seen any of his fellow navymen since HRNS Loftwing's run in with Captain Zant, so none of them knew that he was alive.

Soon he was approaching the south pier, and he made his way to where HRNS Divine Beast was moored.

Though it was fully light, the sun hadn't quite breached the eastern horizon, and it was still quite early. He reached the galleon, and looked up at its hull from the jetty. Just beneath the bowsprit, a figurehead of a wolf snarled out at anyone who would look at it. The vessel's sails were furled still, and there was little to be heard coming from the deck. He stepped onto the gangway and began to ascend to the deck. He knew the crew was on deck, and he knew exactly what they were doing. A moment later, he stepped up onto the gunwale, and balanced himself with a nearby rope.

All around on the deck and evidently below deck were men sitting, legs crossed, with their hands resting on their knees and their eyes closed. They were praying, Link knew. Before every abnormally dangerous voyage, any hylian crew would get to their ship early and pray to the goddesses for protection and strength in the up and coming voyage.

Link cast his eyes about the men on the deck, looking for Captain Auru. Not seeing him on the main deck, Link figured the man was most likely up on the quarterdeck, so he made his way to the steep stairs that would lead him there. He was right. The grey-haired captain sat cross-legged on the quarterdeck near the helm. Link could see his lips moving slightly, but no audible sound came out. As the captain heard footsteps approach, he opened his eyes. They widened, his bushy grey eyebrows arcing high.

"Link?!" he swept off his three cornered hat and stood quickly, stretching out a hand to the other sailor.

"Good morning," Link responded, taking Auru's hand firmly in his own.

"You're alive!" Auru commented, a few seamen around them noticing him now.

"Indeed," Link said carefully, "and I would like to join you on your voyage. I know what your mission is." The captain's face grew solemn.

He was clearly hesitant and grimaced, but said "I won't question your decision. It will be good to have a swordsman of your caliber on deck. Welcome to HRNS Divine Beast; goddesses protect us."

* * *

 _A/N - Here we go! Will HRNS Divine Beast survive the battle with_ Volvagia _?_


	5. Voyage of HRNS Divine Beast

Link leaned on the port gunwales and gazed subconsciously at the surface of the ocean as Windfall's docks faded into the fog, and then he made his way toward the bow. He passed a few nine pound guns before he reached the forecastle, and began to ascend the stairs there. The familiar rocking of the ship was comforting to him, but he was still troubled. It was hard not to be, given the circumstances.

As he reached the bow of the vessel, a man strode up from behind him. "You were the first mate on HRNS Loftwing, were you not?" Link's breath caught slightly as he remembered his old ship. He looked sideways at the man beside him. The sailor was wearing what every Hyrulean Royal Navy man wore; what Link had been wearing day in and day out for the past seven years. Of course, now he wasn't wearing the uniform, but that was because he couldn't stand wearing it any longer. The navy blue canvas pants, simple white poet shirt and comfortable cotton jacket reminded him too much of his crew and Captain Horwell.

"I was," Link said carefully as the other sailor casually adjusted the front of his crimson jacket.

"So how did it happen? And how did you survive?"

Link sighed. There was no mistaking what the man meant when he asked 'how did _it_ happen.' He shrugged. " _Volvagia_ appeared from out of the fog far too late for anyone to ready the defenses. I was up in the crow's nest, and shouted down to the deck what i saw, but no one had a chance to react. She was upon us before we were able to load the guns, as we were cruising into Ordon Bay and no one was even remotely ready for a confrontation. I began to hurry down the shrouds, but before i got halfway down, chain shot tore through the mast, sending it - and me along with it - crashing down across both decks. As it fell though, I took a bullet in the shoulder and lost my grip on the ropes, plummeting toward the deck. That's the last thing i remember before awakening in Ordon." As he recounted his brief tale, a couple more seaman had drawn near to listen. When he finished, he noticed the first sailor who approached him shudder slightly. "But take heart, man. It's going to go differently this time," Link said encouragingly, laying a hand on the disheartened navy man's shoulder.

"Link, Captain Auru would like to speak with you," said a man from behind him. Link turned and nodded to him.

"I'm assuming he's at the helm?"

This time it was the other man's turn to nod. "Indeed."

"Very well," Link said, "I will head there now. Gentlemen." The last part he directed at the other couple sailors there, when they also nodded, he began to move astern. He descended the stairs, and was shortly passing the cannons again. One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, eleven, he counted, brushing each one with his hand as he went by. Auru would have them loaded soon so they would be ready when HRNS Divine Beast finally found _Volvagia_. _Or when_ Volvagia _finds us,_ Link thought to himself wryly. Then he was ascending the steps onto the quarterdeck, and he approached the wheel where the captain was standing.

"Link, I just wanted to ask you a couple questions regarding HRNS Loftwing's…" he hesitated, searching for a suitable euphemism for what had happened, "encounter with Captain Zant's ship." He waited for a few seconds, looking to Link for some sort of consent or acquiescence. The younger man only looked at him however, waiting for him to continue and ask his questions. When the captain saw that Link wasn't going to oblige him with consent, he continued. "First of all, no one here had heard that there were any survivors until you appeared this morning." He gazed at Link again, waiting for some sort of response.

After a moment, Link relented. "As far as I know, I'm the only one who survived," he said with a sigh. Captain Auru also sighed.

"That is unfortunate. Curse those pirates. If only we weren't alone in this mission, eh? So tell me, how did they attack?"

Link shrugged. "They appeared out of the fog already knowing exactly where we were. In hindsight, they must have been following us."

"So," the captain stroked his stylized silver goatee thoughtfully, "we'll need to have our guns loaded and the men ready for combat before we even catch scent of them."

"Indeed. If we want to have a chance to strike first, we will need to load our guns far before we think we're anywhere near them. Speaking of, where is the last place they were reportedly seen; do you know?"

"Off the coast of the Faron Peninsula, about forty nautical miles from Windfall Port. Of course, that was yesterday evening when the report came to me."

"In other words, that is where they were roughly twenty-four hours ago now." Link surmised. Auru nodded grimly.

"Yes, but the report said that they were sailing deeper into the west."

"Hmm. Does anyone know where _Volvagia_ makes berth?"

The captain considered this for a moment. He looked to a man standing next to him. The man was wearing the garb of a navy man, and he had a green stocking cap on. "Mido, do you have any idea where _Volvagia_ makes berth?"

"I've heard stories…" the young man started, looking uneasily at Link. "Something about a fortress far to the west, beyond the Norsuthern Current." Captain Auru looked at the Mido's freckled face with confusion.

"You mean the one of legend?" the older man asked.

"It's not a legend," Link whispered, suddenly feeling sick to his stomach. Auru looked at him with surprise.

"What?"

"It's not a legend," Link repeated, this time louder. Auru noticed that he had a faraway look in his eyes. "The Forsaken Fortress is a real place. And we absolutely _cannot_ let Captain Zant get there with his loot." He said this with more urgency. "I should have known that that's where Captain Zant would have come from!"

"Erm… his loot?" Auru asked.

Link sighed. "He was attacking ships looking for a specific item. He found that item on HRNS Loftwing. Horwell and I were assigned to the Loftwing to guard it. I didn't know why at the time, or why it was so important. Supposedly, hiding the item on a small scouting brig would be inconspicuous and anyone looking for the item wouldn't think to look in the hold of a small brig, but obviously that plan didn't work very well, whoever came up with it. Anyway, I didn't believe in the importance of the item since i've never actually seen it personally, but—"

"You've never seen it?!" Mido cut in.

"What is it?" asked Auru.

"Supposedly it's a map."

"A map of what?"

"You've heard the legend of the kingdom with the golden power that got taken by an evil man who was eventually defeated by a chosen one called upon by the princess?"

"Of course, everyone knows the legend," Mido said impatiently.

"In the end of the legend, seven sages have a temple built to house the Triforce of Power."

"Go on," Auru practically whispered.

"Well, supposedly, the map is of Hyrule, marking the location of the Temple of Power, and in doing so, marking the resting place of the very Triforce of Power itself."

"No. No way. That can't be. Who told you that that's what it was?"

Link looked mildly ashamed. "An old man named Rauru. He claims to be a descendant of one of the seven sages."

"When did this old Rauru fellow even tell you this?" Mido asked forcefully.

"When _Volvagia_ appeared and started attacking scouting brigs, he approached Captain Horwell and me in Windfall and told us. Neither of us believed him, but a small part of me was afraid that it might be true."

"And now you think it is?" Mido practically scoffed.

Link shrugged. "When I saw Zant's face with my own eyes… there's something… not… _natural_ about him. I haven't told anyone this yet," Link continued, and with those words, the two other men seemed to subconsciously move closer, "but when i saw him in the spyglass from the crow's nest, he looked at me. And I don't mean that he glanced up and saw me in the lookout. He made _eye contact_ with me and stared me down, even though he was a good distance off and i was looking through the spyglass."

"Sounds terrifying," Auru said sympathetically. Link nodded absentmindedly.

"Besides," he said, looking at Mido, "you said yourself that you had heard stories of Forsaken Fortress."

"Yes. _Stories._ That doesn't mean they were true," the red haired young man said defensively.

"Well, we can't risk it. The consequences would be catastrophic if someone like Zant was able to get his hands on the Triforce of Power, _if_ it exists."

"Then we sail west," Auru said, and began to work the wheel to change HRNS Divine Beast's heading. Faron Peninsula loomed in front of them about a mile off now, and the galleon pitched as her captain swung her about to face west.

"Going beyond the Norsuthern Current is strictly forbidden, but we have stricter orders. Our mission is basically to come back with Zant's head or not at all. Poor Eagus tried to sugar coat it for me, but I know where our orders originated," Auru said bitterly.

"From the coast, it takes about six hours to reach the Norsuthern Current, right?" Link asked, trying to ignore the captain's negative take on the situation.

"About, but with an easterly wind behind us, it'll speed it up considerably. I'm hoping that HRNS Divine Beast is faster than _Volvagia_ , and we can gain on her. She has most likely passed the Norsuthern by now."

"Yes, she has had a considerable head start, but Zant doesn't know that he's being pursued, so hopefully he isn't pushing her," Link said, crossing his arms over his chest. "Besides, he has what he set out to retrieve, so he has no reason to rush."

"True," Auru murmured.

Silence descended upon them then, as they each thought about what was to come. Link gently laid a hand on Captain Auru's shoulder, and looked him in the eye. When the man returned his gaze, he nodded solemnly and moved to descend from the quarterdeck.

"Do you really think it could be true?"

Auru looked at the red haired young man on his right. "I don't know, Mido, but if it is, Link is right. We cannot let Zant get his hands on the fabled Triforce of Power. The consequences would indeed be dire." Mido nodded slowly.

 **-o-o-o-o-o-**

Link was standing at the bow of the ship, gazing out at the rolling blue waves, HRNS Divine Beast having left the dense fog of the coast behind them. Out in front of them, the sea stretched as far as the eye could see. Luckily, the easterly wind that had been aiding their efforts was still blowing, and they continued at a fast pace. He estimated that they were doing about 10 knots; probably faster than _Volvagia_ by a slight margin, he guessed.

From far above, he heard an unintelligible shout. He craned his neck to look up into the rigging of the ship, and was able to make out a small man in the crow's nest - which was considerably taller than HRNS Loftwing's had been.

"Norsuthern Current ahead!" he bellowed. All the heads on the deck looked up toward the quarterdeck and the captain. None of them had ever sailed a ship through the current before. It was thought to be a cursed strip of sea, magically flowing north and south. The Norsuthern Current itself was comprised of two different parts. Half of it, the eastern half, flowed north, while the western half flowed south. When a vessel sailed into the Norsuthern Current, it was always from the east (coming from Hyrule), so the aforementioned vessel would encounter the north current first. In coming from the east, the northern flowing water would swing the vessel's bow to starboard, then the ship would struggle to make progress through the northern current, then after fifty or so meters, the water would be flowing the opposite direction, and when the vessel's bow entered the south stream, its bow would swing back to its port, but its stern would continue to drift north, effectively spinning the vessel around, and if the crew was not careful, the ship would continue to spin, and over the years, more than a few crews had met their demise whilst spinning helplessly in the Norsuthern Current.

Today, however, Captain Auru was confident that he had figured out how to navigate the unnatural waters safely.

"Mido!" He called to his First Mate who was standing nearby.

"Yes, Captain?"

"Please relay to Zuko to let us know when we reach one hundred meters from the Current."

"Aye aye, Captain," the red haired man said, springing away. The next moment, Link was next to him.

"What is your plan, Captain?"

Auru grinned at him. "Nothing too exquisite," he said simply. Link shrugged, content to let Auru and his crew handle the sailing on this voyage. He knew he was only a passenger on this ship. His ship had been destroyed along with its entire crew. Horwell… He and the captain had been close friends, and he had tried his hardest not to think about him since the attack of _Volvagia_. Fuzo, the young, yet bulky redhead who had joined the crew just a week prior. It was only his first voyage… He tried not to think about his former crew. None of them except Horwell and he had even known of the map's existence and supposed importance. Now they were all gone, and Link hadn't been able to do a thing to protect a single one of them. As he mulled over the past week, a silent anger slowly rose in his heart.

He was pulled back to reality when Zuko, the lookout, bellowed down again. "One hundred meters to the Current, Captain!"

Then Auru looked at Link again. A look of determination was on his face, and he nodded at the blonde sailor. Then, he hauled on the wheel of the ship, and HRNS Divine Beast pitched violently to her port side as her bow swung to starboard. She was plowing forward swiftly, and she would be upon the Current in moments. Hands all about the deck held onto anything they could get their hands on to keep from falling to the deck of the warship. HRNS Divine beast was facing nearly north now, and all aboard were bracing for the north flow to take them.

Then it did, and they were jerked forward violently by the unnatural force of the Current. A few sailors lost their footing, and crashed to the wooden planks of the deck. One navy man nearly fell from the spar of a higher mast, crying out as he hung on for dear life by a loose rope. Link himself was forced to support himself using the gunwales of the quarter deck, and found himself staring down into the rushing waters of the deadly Current. He automatically craned his neck to look forward and see how far off the south flow was. To his dismay, it was coming very quickly, and they would reach it in seconds. The young man bent his knees and braced himself for the alteration of direction.

When the galleon's bow entered the south current, the wheel ripped itself out of Auru's hands and flung him to the deck, just as the sudden jerk flung others down as well. The ship pitched terribly to her starboard side as her bow was wrenched around by the other current. A man tumbled overboard, uttering a terrified cry. Luckily, HRNS Divine Beast's bow had been pointing so far north, that by the time it was near facing west again, the rest of her stern was almost entirely out of the north flow, and she was stable again, though she was drifting further south that Auru would have liked.

The old captain regained his footing and took the wheel again. In moments, he was guiding the ship out of the perilous currents, and heading west once more.

Link was sure he wasn't alone when he breathed a huge yet silent sigh of relief. His knuckles were still white, gripping the railing of the gunwale. Slowly, he released the wooden structure. He crossed the quarterdeck back to Auru's side, and addressed the captain.

"Well done, sir," he commented. Auru nodded, and Link continued in a low voice. " _Volvagia_ will doubtlessly reach the Forsaken Fortress before us, if she hasn't reached it already." Again, the captain nodded gravely, still looking forward. "I ask that you let me go in first in attempt to retrieve the map."

Auru looked at him now. "Are you daft? The Forsaken Fortress - if it exists - harbors untold horrors known only by the keeper himself, be that Zant, or another, darker being."

"I know, i know. But the map is my responsibility. It was my assignment to guard it, and my duty to keep it out of Zant's hands."

"But you said yourself that you didn't know of its importance."

"That doesn't matter now. Besides, I have a better chance going in stealthily than we do trying to take it in a full on battle. If the Fortress is half as strong as legend makes it out to be, _Divine Beast_ doesn't stand a chance against its fortifications." When Link finished, Auru stood quietly, looking at him. After a few moments, he sighed.

"I suppose you are right. Are you sure you don't want to go in with a couple of my men?"

"I don't want to risk their lives if i don't have to."

Auru looked at him closely. "Assuming this place exists, do you really think you can get in and out alive, _with_ the map?"

Link considered this for a long while, then said: "I don't know. All i know is that i have to try."

The older man nodded solemnly, and looked back toward the west, gazing past the ship's masts and rigging and out over the blue waves under the bright sunlight. Link gazed out as well, and silence descended upon them.

Anxiety rose in Link as he stood there beside Auru, thinking about the daunting task he had set before himself. The crew of HRNS Divine Beast would have followed him into the bowels of the Forsaken Fortress if it was asked of them, and he knew it. But he couldn't ask that of them. He was sure most if not every last one of the hundred or so men on board would perish in such an attack, and he couldn't let that happen, especially if he could retrieve the map successfully alone.

He stood there on the quarterdeck, his arms crossed over his chest and his mind wandering for a good few minutes. Then, in his mind's eye, a beautiful visage was before him, smiling broadly at him. He couldn't stop himself from smiling also, as her glorious cerulean eyes twinkled at his.

"Tetra…" he whispered subconsciously.

"What was that?" Auru asked, shooting him and inquisitive look.

"What? I — nothing," Link stuttered, eyes downcast. He looked back up, and Auru was raising an eyebrow at him. The young man sighed and shook his head, moving away. The captain merely shrugged.

Link's thoughts returned to the blonde immediately, her face filling his mind. He breathed a prayer to Nayru, beseeching her to allow him to see the maiden once more.

Then, Zuko was hollering something from the crow's nest. "LAND HO!"

The young sailor snapped out of his trance and started squinting at the western horizon. A tiny speck sat upon the blue line, and he assumed it was the fabled Forsaken Fortress. A shiver ran down his spine, and he subconsciously put a hand on the pommel of his hanger.

As they sailed forward, the sky was suddenly slightly dimmer.

"HEAVE TO!" the Captain bellowed so that all the hands could hear him. Men sprang to work, attempting to heave the jib sails to windward as Auru turned the ship away from the direction of the wind and even as their pace slowed, the speck grew closer and the sky grew darker, until the vessel was broadside to the Forsaken Fortress, which now sat some few miles off. Link estimated it was between five and seven miles away; he knew the crew wouldn't want to get any closer than that, now that they all knew how very real the cursed place was. Indeed, every sailor aboard seemed to shiver in the unnatural night.

Link looked up at the sky, and the sun was still hanging in its normal spot and shining, however somehow its light did not reach the sea in this area.

"This place is cursed," Mido said as he stepped up to the quarterdeck. Auru only nodded silently. "The men don't want to get any closer to the fortress."

The fortress loomed like a great predator, waiting for an unwitting victim to stray too close to it. They couldn't see much of it in the darkness, but they could see that colossal stone walls jutted up from the sea all the way around it except for one place where ships could enter and exit. Torches dotted the fortress inside and out with an eerie orange hue contrasting deeply with the dark blue night.

"Well Link, I think this is as close as we are getting."

"Understood, Captain," Link said, and began to descend to the main deck.

"You can take all the supplies you think you might need, and of course i will give you a dinghy to take to the walls," Auru explained, following Link down the steps. "I assume you'll want a bow in the stead of firearms so you can maintain as much stealth as possible." When Link nodded, Auru turned his head back and locked eyes with Mido. "Go get him my bow," he ordered. The sailor in the green stocking cap nodded and retreated to his captain's cabin. "How will you get inside the walls?"

"Do you have a grappling hook?" the blonde sailor asked.

"Absolutely," then turning to an immense sailor, Auru commanded: "Dampa, go get a grappling hook from the hold." The man nodded and rushed away.

 **-o-o-o-o-o-**

It took them a few minutes, but finally they had decided that Link was as prepared as he could possibly be to face the Forsaken Fortress, and the young man climbed down a ladder on the side of the ship and into a dinghy. Many members of the Divine Beast's crew lined up along the port gunwales to see him off.

"Good luck, Link. We will wait for thirty-six hours, then we will attack the Forsaken Fortress," Captain Auru declared. Link nodded. He untied the little rowboat's tethers that kept it alongside the galleon and then sat down on its bench seat. Taking the oars in his hands, he set them in the oarlocks and began his short voyage to the walls of the Forsaken Fortress.

* * *

 _A/N - Thank you so much for reading!_


	6. The Cursed Island

_A/N - For any of you who are paying attention to this, I apologize for the big time gap between last post and this post. Life got super busy and I rewrote this chapter three times before I had it the way I liked it._

* * *

As Link's dinghy traversed the last bit of open water to the wall of the foreboding island, he gathered the grappling hook's rope into neat coils so it would be able to release properly.

As he had approached, he had seen that the sheer stone face which jutted out from the sea capped off in crude battlements. The little boat that carried him was drifting closer to the wall now, and where the sea lapped against it, barnacles thrived in mass. He stood easily, completely accustomed to the rocking of the little dinghy from years of life on the sea, and prepared the grappling hook. He began to swing it in a loop by his side, slowly letting out a little more rope on every rotation until he had sufficient length to lend enough momentum to the three sided hook itself. After gauging the height of the wall and planning accordingly, he counted to three and released the tool. The head soared up and nearly out of sight in the eerie darkness, and after a moment he heard a metallic clatter far above him, and the rope went slack.

He gave it a nervous tug, and when it remained firm, he gave it a harder pull. After feeling that it was still secure, he heaved on it briefly. Finally satisfied that it was well anchored, he dropped the rope and made sure he had everything he needed. As his eyes did a quick once-over of the boat, they lit on the dagger Auru had given him just before he descended from HRNS Divine Beast. He grabbed it and clenched it between his teeth, in case he needed it the moment he hauled himself onto the wall. He gripped the rope with both hands and hoisted himself up. Slowly, he walked up the vertical stone face, heaving himself up with both hands. The steel dagger was almost painful between his jaws as they clenched with the effort.

Soon, he was near the top. His jaws were aching, and he thanked Din for providing him with the strength to reach the top. Finally, he hooked his right hand over the wall's outer edge, then his left. He hauled himself up just enough that he could see through an embrasure in the battlements. The coast was clear. Slowly, he pulled himself higher and higher until he was able to heave himself up between two merlons and onto the wall.

As soon as he was standing on the wall, he removed the dagger from between his teeth and surveyed his surroundings.

Laid out before him was a fortified settlement surrounded by walls in the shape of a rough pentagon. Perched atop three of the five corners were searchlights which scanned the inside of the settlement. A doubtlessly deep pond was in the middle of the settlement, and upon it floated _Volvagia._ Link scowled even as he realized that the map's chest was most likely still on board, and continued to gaze across the Forsaken Fortress. To one side of the small lake was a poorly constructed village, set up seemingly over a long period of time on what appeared to have once been an immense cobblestone courtyard.

The ringing of steel greeted his ears suddenly, and he recognized the sound as a hammer shaping a weapon upon an anvil. As one of the searchlights swept across the area down below, it enlightened one billowing cloud of smoke, doubtlessly rising from the blacksmith's forge.

"What you doing up here?" an extraordinarily raspy voice assaulted his ears from his left. How could he have been so oblivious?! His head whipped to face the speaker, his eyes wide in the darkness, attempting to let in enough light to see the voice's owner properly. All he was able to make out in the dark however, was that the speaker was scrawny, and had ears far longer than the average hylian which stuck out sideways. The creature was slightly shorter than Link. The young sailor could make out no details. "You speak?" it asked awkwardly. "Crew of ship down in tavern, why you up here?" Its tone was only slightly accusatory, and Link realized that this creature was under the impression that he was a member of Zant's crew.

"I uh," he started quietly, "I got hot so I wanted some cool air." The sentry cocked its head at him. An idea formed in his mind. "Oh, and I wanted to show you something," he said in a low tone, motioning over the battlements and out at the sea. The creature moved forward cautiously, stepping toward the nearest embrasure to look out where the sailor was pointing. Link switched Auru's dagger from his left to his right hand, and moved up behind the sentry. As it raised a crooked blade above its eyes to peer out into the darkness, he made his move. Link reached around the creature's head and grasped its mouth firmly. His heart leapt as he felt sharp teeth protruding from the crude thing's long snout, but he clamped down tight and reached around the other side of its head with his dagger, and dragged the small blade across its throat forcefully. Immediately, hot fluid gushed over his hand and the creature thrashed, but was unable to make a sound. Link shoved it forward with all his might, sending it over the low area of the battlements and down to the crushing depths of the sea.

He wiped the viscous blood onto his shirt sleeve and turned back to the fortress. He glanced to his left and then to his right, and saw that a narrow walkway led from the ramparts down a short distance and into corridors which were situated inside the hollow outer fortifications.

Spontaneously, he looked up at the sun again, and saw that it was still shining, though somehow its light did not reach the Forsaken Fortress.

He slid Auru's dagger into his boot and got his bow ready. When he had it strung, he selected an arrow from the quiver at his back and moved toward the walkway. It led down right before the rampart ended at a tower in one of the fortress' five corners. From the top of the tower, one of the searchlights shone its light upon the walkway, putting on display anything that would traverse that passage from the interior to the ramparts. To his right was a ladder which appeared to lead up to the top of the tower where the searchlight's control section would be. He slung his bow over his shoulder, put the arrow back in his quiver, and began to ascend the ladder.

When he reached the top, he peered over the edge of the tower. Another creature which looked exactly the same in silhouette to the first sentry he had encountered manned the light, facing the opposite direction. He sighed silently, and climbed the rest of the way up onto the tower. He then prepared his bow again and laid an arrow on the bowstring.

The bow was an archaic weapon these days, but he knew firsthand that it was easily as lethal as a firearm in the correct hands, and his were the correct hands. It was also far quieter, which was what made it invaluable in a situation such as this. He drew the arrow back to his cheek, focusing his aim on the searchlight operator, and released. A deep _thrum_ came from his weapon, and the arrow leapt away, then as soon as it had left his hand, it tore into the creature's back, piercing through its heart and continuing out its chest. The operator jerked violently and collapsed silently.

He nodded and slung the bow back over his shoulder, then strode to the controls to see if he could figure them out. As he suspected, they were very simple and he raised a lever, pointing the searchlight up at the pathetically impotent sun.

After he had descended from the tower and traversed the now-dark walkway down to a small balcony, he opened an unimpressive door and entered the interior of the Forsaken Fortress.

The room he now found himself in was a very dim, dank, elongated corridor that seemed to connect two larger rooms located beneath the towers. He could see torchlight flickering in the doorways at either end. On the air, the musty odor of mold drifted into his nostrils. He shivered.

In the room down the corridor to his left, a rhythmic though muffled _clank... clank… clank…_ continuously rang out. It was a heavy sound, if a noise could be described as such, and sounded as though an immense man was lumbering very slowly. Link strode cautiously in that direction, preparing his bow once again. Shortly, he was drawing near to the doorway, and he sidled up against the wall. It was noticeably damp.

As he peeked his head around the door jamb, he saw a hulking creature carrying a pike. In the dim light, it took him a moment to make it out, but when he did, his breath caught. This beast had the snout and ears of a swine, but sharp teeth like those of a wolf. Its eyes glowed a jaundiced yellow and about its stout neck hung a pendant bearing the still-bloody skull of some small creature. Its torso was like that of a man who was stronger than any Link had ever seen. The creature's broad shoulders had bizarre, swirling, white tattoos on its otherwise deep purple hide. It wore torn blue trousers on its lower half, and bore cloven hooves for feet. Its long pike's tip was a lethal curved steel point, and in its off hand, it carried an eerily shaped lantern. Link shuddered.

Standing flat up against the wall once more, he selected an arrow from his quiver and laid it to the bowstring. He knew he had to move swiftly. Planning his attack, he took a deep breath, albeit as quietly as possible. Then he took a step out into the light, already drawing the arrow back. He peered down the shaft briefly, setting the aim on the beast's throat, just as it noticed him. It began to turn toward him as the arrow left his bow. Then the missile struck its target, slicing cleanly through the animal's vocal cords and rendering it mute while severing its jugular. Its head whipped back in reaction to the sudden burst of agony, and blood spurted from its throat. The pike and the lantern were both dropped instantly as its meaty, clawed hands shot up to clutch its throat. Blood gushed from between its fingers, and it collapsed quickly. After a few seconds of wild thrashing, it lay still, the stone floor all around it painted black in the orange torchlight.

Link took a shaky breath, and slung the bow back over his shoulder. Another close call.

The creature's tongue lulled out, and the pool of blood beneath it still expanded slowly.

Link then exited that broader, more square room through a doorway in the far side of the room, then progressed through another corridor similar to the one he had entered originally. He strode quietly through the dark building, and shortly came to the far end of it. The door here opened into a slightly larger room where a statue of the upper half of a beast that looked strikingly similar to the one he had just killed protruded from above a double doorway. He scanned the room for enemies, then cautiously began to make his way into the room which was lit dimly by one torch resting in a sconce on the wall.

Silently, he crossed the room with one hand on the pommel of his hanger. He decided to try the doors beneath the massive beast statue, though they were shut. He reached the doors, and took hold of a handle. He pulled gently at first, but when the door did not budge, he gave it more force. Just when he was about to give up, the door he was working on creaked open about a foot. The noise seemed to split through the silence, and two little sentries like the first one he had encountered spun around to look at him.

"What you doing?" one asked.

"Crew in tavern," the other said, echoing the words of the one Link had slain upon the wall.

"Captain Zant had me go check on something as soon as we arrived," Link said on a whim, and sidled through the small opening he had created. If the crew was getting drunk in the tavern, hopefully he could make it to _Volvagia_ without incident. Nonetheless, he would be very careful.

In front of him, the Forsaken Fortress of legend opened up. He suspected that he was the first hylian - with the exception of Zant's crew, perhaps - to set foot in the infamously legendary stronghold in centuries. Dirty, clumsily put together buildings lined a walkway that led from the building he had just left to the lake on the far side where _Volvagia_ was anchored. It wasn't that far, but the area was bustling with activity. He had no idea how he would get to the ship relatively unnoticed, and he prayed to Farore that he didn't run into Zant along the way. He knew that the captain would know he wasn't a member of his crew, in fact, he might remember seeing Link on the day that HRNS Loftwing was destroyed. Link shuddered at the memory of Zant's dead yellow eyes staring him down all the way from his own ship when Link had been perched in the crow's nest. He wished he could push that out of his mind forever.

Instead, however, he trekked on, determined to take back the map. He strode forward confidently, looking ahead for a building that could be the tavern. He passed the smithy on his right, and various sorts of apparently residential buildings, then one came up on his right that would be the tavern. He could hear loud voices coming from inside, and picked up the heavy scent of liquor.

He took a left before he reached the alehouse, and navigated his way through the tightly built homes where various species of sentients resided. Staying out of sight of the tavern wasn't difficult, and soon he was at the small dock where the pirate ship was moored.

A narrow gangplank led up to the vessel's deck, and Link looked nervously behind him before he began to ascend it. He moved slowly, and each step he took was as soft as he could make it. The tavern was some distance away now, and it was relatively quiet here.

As Link's head came level with the gunwale, he peered over it and between the cannons stationed on the deck cautiously. Two pirates were standing guard at the entrance to the captain's cabin beneath the quarterdeck. After looking at the men for a brief moment longer, however, he realized that they weren't _standing_ guard, per say, but more of just existing in the right place. One was fast asleep, while the other attempted to keep a watchful eye out on their surroundings. Link almost felt bad that he had to kill them, but then he remembered HRNS Loftwing, and his original remorse vanished without a trace. He stepped back down the gangway a few steps and shrugged his bow off his shoulders, nocking an arrow. He raised it to eye level and advanced once again until he was able to aim the arrow just above the gunwale. In a flash the projectile hissed off the bowstring and smashed itself into the pirate's face, killing him nigh instantly. The other guard remained asleep.

Link didn't want to waste another arrow, so he slung his bow back over his shoulder and drew Auru's knife, moving up onto the deck. He strode aft, toward the door of the cabin. When he reached the slumbering pirate, he pointed his dagger at the man's throat. But then he had mercy. He would not kill a man in his sleep. Instead, he wound up, and brought the butt of the small weapon down against the guard's temple, and the pirate simply sagged over a little more.

He then entered the cabin. As he shut the door behind him, he realized that he probably should have been more stealthy about his entry in case there were men inside, but he had gotten lucky, and he was alone. He put the knife back in his boot and strode into the room. And it was just that; a relatively empty room except for a door at the far end, lit by torches in sconces on either side of the room.

With nowhere else to go, he stepped over to the far door. He tried it, but it was locked. He sighed. He glanced around the room once more, and his spirits began to fall, but then he saw a trap door in the middle of the room. How had he missed it the first time? Reinvigorated, he moved to it and opened it. A ladder led down into darkness, and he shuddered as cold, stale air greeted him. Then he had an idea, and fetched one of the torches from the walls then returned to the trapdoor. He opened it again and dropped the torch down. It hit the floor shortly and sputtered slightly, but remained ablaze, lighting up the ladder and the way down.

Once again faced with only one way to proceed, he began to climb down the ladder. When he reached the bottom, he scooped the torch back up in his off hand and drew his sword, pointing it out into the darkness. He took a few tentative steps forward, listening intently, but hearing nothing aside from the crackling of the torch. The air itself seemed wet down here, and the cold soaked through his thin white sleeves.

The light from his torch chased away the darkness, and he saw two fixed torches which were substantially larger than his on either side of the short entryway where the ladder had brought him down. He assumed these were made to light this room, if it could be called such. With that in mind, he brought his torch to the first larger one, and after a few seconds, the wood there lit. He repeated that with the second one, and the room area where he was - the hold of the ship - was relatively well lit.

Seeing that there was no immediate threat, he sheathed his sword again and dropped the torch that he no longer needed.

In front of him, the floor dropped off some five meters, and then was flat for a distance, then at the far end - which was just barely visible to Link - rose up once more and there was a doorway. In the deep gap between he and the far side, iron cages large enough to fit a few men were lined up. He figured it must have been the warship's prison.

To his right, there was a short pedestal which protruded from the floor maybe fifteen centimeters. He shrugged mentally, and moved over to stand on it. As soon as he stepped on it, however, it dropped down flush with the floor beneath his weight, and suddenly platforms shot up from the floor down below, just close enough for him to jump from platform to platform.

He sprung automatically into action, and leapt across the gaps. He took a couple seconds to judge the distance before each jump, and he was nearly to the end when he was in midair and the platforms dropped back into the floor as suddenly as they had risen into place, and Link plummeted down to the hard wooden floor. He muttered a curse under his breath when he noticed he had ripped a hole in the knee area of his canvas pants. He looked around himself, annoyed, but thanked Nayru when he saw a ladder on the side where he had begun, so he wasn't stuck down in _Volvagia's_ hold. He made his way between the cages, and after climbing back up to his starting place, he was more certain that he had to get across this obstacle and through the doorway on the opposite end.

Again, he stepped on the pedestal, and again, the platforms shot up. Knowing what was going to happen, he launched himself across the first few platforms in bounds, then took an extra second for a longer gap. He was halfway across. He continued to leap forward, and finally he was on the last platform. He jumped as far as he could on the last one, and caught the edge of the ledge in front of the doorway. At that moment, the platforms vanished back into the floor. He hauled himself up and headed through the open doorway.

And there it was. The map's chest. He approached it, knowing it was locked. The lock was not an ordinary padlock, however. It did have a key slot on the front, and hopefully that had fooled Zant for now, but the real mechanism was located on the back of the lock. Two tiny levers had to be pulled. Link had it unlocked shortly, and he opened the chest.

He snatched the map out of the chest, and tucked it into his belt. He closed the chest again and relocked it. Then he beat it back to the first ladder. Before he ascended it however, he decided to douse the torches he had lit. Once through with that, he picked up the torch he had brought down, and ascended the ladder. When he reached the cabin, he climbed out and put the torch back in its sconce, then shut the trap door.

He strode back to the door, and began to open it slowly. As he peered out of the cabin, his heart skipped a beat. Crawling all over the deck was a crew of furious looking pirates, and mere feet in front of him was Zant himself, his yellow eyes searching Link's very soul.

"The Master knew you would open the chest for us," he said in a horrifyingly silky voice. Link instinctually backed up, and shut the door again. Eyes wide with incomprehension, he drew his hanger in his left and Auru's dagger in his off hand and prepared to defend himself. The door was opened again and three pirates rushed toward him. He dispatched the first one to him with one simple move, and engaged the next two. They were slower than him, but the fact that there were two of them began to give them the advantage, and in a moment, there was enough room for another to fit through the doorway, then another, and another. They surrounded him, and he realized it was over. He disengaged and dropped his sword to the floor with a clatter. Raising his hands, he surrendered himself.

"I don't know how you got here, but your presence indicates that there must be a vessel nearby," Zant said as he strode cockily through the doorway. His crew parted for him as he approached the Hyrulean, who held his head high in defiance, his blonde bangs sweaty and slicked to his forehead. "It was courageous of you to come after the map alone, but in the end, you, too, have only served to further the Master's plan, and you have failed in taking it back," the man - if he could be called such - reached for the map at Link's belt, but the young man's hand caught the pirate captain's wrist in an iron grip. "Indeed, courage the likes of which I have not seen," the pirate retracted his hand, and Link released his wrist, glaring daggers at him. The captain was not as intimidating when he was this close. He was hardly even taller than Link.

Zant drew his sword then, and rested the edge against Link's throat. He had expected to see fear in the young man's eyes, but instead all he saw was steel. The pirate himself was unnerved, and tried one last intimidating tactic. "You have failed, you miserable Hyrulean rat. I will kill you, and take the map for the Master, and your world will become his!"

"Do not kill him."

The deep voice carried from somewhere outside of the cabin beneath the quarterdeck, but Zant suddenly retracted his blade in instant obedience.

"We will take him back to Ghirahim and his king will make a spectacle of his execution, using it as a way to subdue the undercurrents of dissent in Hyrule."

With the pirates distracted by this voice, Link knew he had to act now. He dropped low and burst through the circle of pirates and sprinted through the doorway. As he passed out of the cabin, a huge arm swept across his path and clotheslined him, and a moment later he was on his back, looking up. An immense man stood above him whose features were obscured by a hood in the darkness.

"Where did you think you were going?" His deep voice sounded mocking. He reached down easily and snatched the map out of Link's belt. "Throw this kid in the brig," he commanded. Link lay on his back, slightly stunned, as pirate hands grabbed at his shoulders violently. He was hauled to his feet and turned around; back toward the cabin. Zant strolled up to him, his back lit by the torches inside the cabin. Link could just see his smug face as he walked up to him. The Hyrulean struggled briefly, but pirates on either side of him held his arms tightly.

"Men! Set sail for the mainland! We have the map!" the yellow eyed Captain shouted to the rest of the crew while looking Link in the eyes with a malicious smirk.

As the rest of the men around Link hurried to get the ship moving, the two controlling him forced him to the trap door once more. A third fetched a torch, and climbed down before him. When the other two forced the hylian down the ladder, he reluctantly obeyed. When he reached the bottom of the ladder, he turned around quickly, hand on his hanger, but the first pirate down was ready with his torch dangerously near to Link's face and a threatening look in his eye.

"Don't even think about it, _boy,_ " the hand said condescendingly. Link scowled, but held both his hands up, showing the pirate that he would go willingly. The next pirate landed behind Link and secured both his arms again. As soon as Link was defenseless, the first man down took a step forward and wound up with his torch then swung it at the side of Link's head. The next second, a dull crack echoed through the relatively enclosed space and after a flash of bright color, Link's vision went black.

* * *

 _A/N - I hope liked my take on the Forsaken Fortress! In case you were wondering, it is NOT, i repeat, **NOT** supposed to be identical to the Forsaken Fortress from WW. Anyway, follow, favorite and please leave a review! Thanks!_


	7. Confrontation

_**A/N -** Alright folks, sorry about the brevity of this chapter, but it just felt like a good ending point._

* * *

As Link faded back into consciousness in the dark, wet prison, a throbbing pain welled in his head. He forced his eyes open, and he found himself in one of the cages he had leapt over not too long ago. One of the torches up near the entryway was lit. A stubby man in a red and white striped shirt and wearing a blue bandana on his head paced back and forth up near the ladder. Hanging on his belt was a key ring with a few keys. Around them, the ship's timbers creaked mournfully.

"Hey," Link called out weakly. The short pirate looked down at the prisoner. "Where are we?"

The pirate smirked. "Almost back to Hyrule, chasing down a navy ship that we found a few miles off the coast of the Forbidden Fortress. We're almost upon it now."

"Can you come down here and bring me some water? I'm parched," Link asked, hoping the man would be stupid enough to get close enough for Link to grab him and steal the keys.

"Oh shut up. You don't fool me; I ain't falling' for that trick... again," the pirate said. Link cursed mentally. For the moment, he gave up and retreated back to a rickety stool in the corner of the small prison.

Link sighed, his mind brooding to figure out how to escape. His eyes flicked from side to side and up and down as he scanned the cage for any signs of weakness.

Just then, a voice could be heard bellowing from up on the main deck. "All hands on deck! _All hands on deck!_ "

The pirate who was guarding Link's cage looked at him and smirked before hurrying up the ladder and leaving the Hyrulean alone. There were some more shouts, and Link realized what was happening. He stood up, and ran to the wall of his cage. He shook the iron bars violently and growled.

 ** _BOOM._** The familiar and deafening sound of cannon fire ensued. A cannonball suddenly crashed through the hull of _Volvagia_ some thirty paces from his cage, ripping through another iron cage in its way. Suddenly, he had an idea. He retrieved Auru's dagger from his boot and moved toward the door of his prison. Before he reached it, however, another cannonball burst through the hull of the ship and screamed through the previously still air, annihilating the door of Link's cage and causing him to leap back and stumble to the floor.

Springing back to his feet, he restored the dagger to his boot and capitalized on his opportunity, making his way out of the cage and up to where the ladder led out of the hold. When he reached the raised platform where he had previously stepped on the small pedestal, he saw that his sword, bow and quiver were leaned up against the wall near the stationary torch.

Once he had armed himself again, he climbed up the ladder and was greeted by the sounds of battle up on the open air portion of the pirate ship. He emerged from the cabin drawing his hanger, but realized that most of the commotion was coming from the deck of HRNS Divine Beast. Instantly, he leapt into the action. Some few meters in front of him was a pirate bearing down on a now-unarmed navy man. Link immediately loosed his blade upon the sea rat's unguarded back, felling the man with a swift blow. Link met eyes with the man he had saved, and they shared a nod. The next instant however, the man recoiled violently under the impact of a lead ball and fell to the deck moaning.

Link whirled around as another pirate tossed a smoking flintlock to the wooden floor and advanced on him while drawing a broad cutlass. The two engaged, but Link easily gained the upper hand and shortly, he found a gap in the man's defenses and buried his sword up to the hilt in his stomach. Dropping the pirate, Link took a moment to get a better idea of how Auru's men were faring in this battle. To his surprise, they were actually holding their own. He sheathed his hanger, and shrugged his bow off his shoulders. After laying an arrow to the string, he picked out a target. A pirate was swinging from _Volvagia's_ quarter deck toward HRNS Divine Beast. Link didn't let him get there though, and the pirate was struck by the Hyrulean's missile midway between the two ships, and plummeted into the sea with a pitiful scream.

Then Link himself made the transition from _Volvagia_ to _Divine Beast_ via a boarding plank which had been laid across the gap and onto HNRS Divine Beast's gunwales. As the young sailor reached the navy ship, a red haired man in a green stocking cap was driven backward into him while engaged in fierce swordplay with a member of Zant's vile crew. Link practically caught the man, then moved out of the way and drew his sword. Another pirate came at him sword drawn, and the Hyrulean met him, their blades ringing out a perilous song. The pirate didn't stand a chance against Link, whose superior reflexes and speed penetrated the man's defenses rather quickly.

Once Link had dispatched his enemy, he took another quick look around. Mido appeared to be struggling with his opponent, so Link bent down and procured a flintlock pistol from the lifeless buccaneer at his feet. It only took him a moment to get a clean shot off at Mido's assailant, and the pirate went down squealing with a lead ball in his chest. The other navy man looked at Link gratefully. Link nodded to him then took stock of their situation. He noticed with sudden anxiety that the battle seemed to be tipping in favor of the pirates. As he glanced around, two Royal Navymen fell, one run through with a blade, and the other shot down. He saw Auru engaged with one of Zant's miscreants and watched briefly as the navy captain triumphed over him.

"Where is the map?!" Link suddenly thought aloud.

"You don't have it?!" Mido asked incredulously.

"Well I _did_ but they took it from me when I was thrown in the brig," Link said, turning around and looking for Zant or the other mysterious man from the previous night. Or was it the previous day? He had no idea because of the Forsaken Fortress' curse.

" _Look out!_ " Mido shouted, leaping behind Link and engaging a sea rat who had attempted to strike him from behind. Link also turned around then, and saw a pirate from across HRNS Divine Beast's deck sighting down the stubby barrel of a flintlock pistol. Before he could even think to react, the firearm reported and Mido was struck in the temple. The navy man was dead instantly, without the slightest chance to defend himself. As Mido crumpled to the deck and Link stared with a building fury, the pirate whom Mido had been dueling advanced on Link, and the one who had shot Mido also advanced from across the open deck. Link watched him stab a navy man in the back as he came, and then he turned his attention to the first pirate. This man was small, and Link easily overpowered him. In a flash, the miscreant was dead, and Link prepared to fight the next enemy. Then the man who had killed Mido was upon him, and Link was ready. The pirate attempted a downward cut, but Link stepped in and caught the man's wrist. Twisting it violently, Link buried his own blade in the pirate's stomach. The man screamed as Link threw him to the ground.

"This is the second time i have destroyed your ship!" the voice was raised above the sound of the battle. Link followed the sound to its owner. Zant.

With a roar, Link dashed toward the evil pirate captain and engaged him. The two combatants fought up and down the deck, trading blows on one another's blade. Link was fast, but Zant was strong. After a couple minutes, commotion around them was abating, and Link realized that he and Zant were pretty much the last ones fighting.

"Your friends have all surrendered," the pirate taunted with a smug grin.

"They will rise up again when I kill you!" Link yelled as he went on an offensive flurry of moves. He drove the vile captain back, almost to the wall of the cabin, but then Zant stopped stepping back. He stood his ground and matched Link blow for blow. For a moment, they were at a standstill, and they simply stood circling each other with their swords crossed between them, each waiting for the other to make a move. Link glanced into the circle of onlookers, and saw that all the remaining navymen were either held at blade point or bound with ropes. Then his eyes drifted over Mido's body, and saw how the other young man's eyes stared lifelessly into the sky as his blood coursed down his cheek. A rage welled up in him once again. With a shout, he went on the attack again, but Zant was stronger. Link strained to move faster than the evil man but no matter what he did or how fast he moved, it seemed as though Zant was waiting; parrying his advances almost contemptuously. Suddenly, the pirate made a series of movements that caught Link completely off guard. In a flash, the captain had disarmed Link, and he was kneeling before him, the tip of Zant's blade at his throat.

"Good, good." This voice came from behind Link, and he recognized the voice as the mysterious man from before. Link's heart pounded in his ears as the man stalked quietly around to where he was in front of Link, tapping a rolled up parchment in his hands. _The map!_ If the legends were even half-true, this man could _not_ be allowed to get his filthy hands on the contents of the Temple of Power.

"Now that this map is finally mine, I will overtake Hyrule soon enough," the man's deep voice emanated from beneath the hood. There was a unified chorus of objection from the Royal Navymen on deck, and Link had finally had enough.

" _NO!_ " he shouted as he pulled Auru's dagger from his boot once again. In a swift movement, he swiped Zant's blade away, stepped up and hammered the dagger up under the pirate's jaw down to the knife's hilt. Zant's sickly yellow eyes suddenly dimmed as the knife entered his skull, and he crumpled back onto the deck. Link then stood defiantly in the midst of the pirates, dagger in hand, staring blazingly into the darkness of the mysterious man's hood.

The man simply laughed however, and removed his hood. Link almost took a step back at the sight of the man's face. His skin was a dark, grayish green and his short hair was like fire, blazing orange as it wrapped down around his chin in a cropped but pointed beard. His irises glowed yellow.

He raised a hand and dropped it. "Kill them all, except this one. I have something special in mind for him."

" _Noooo!_ " Link bellowed but it was no use. The pirates suddenly and brutally slaughtered the remaining defenseless navymen. Link roared a battle cry and charged the evil man, dagger drawn, but before he reached him, he was tackled by pirates. He stabbed three of them in quick succession and broke free, making a break for the edge of the ship. He was brought down again however, and he fell right in front of the dead Mido. He looked at the young man's face, and spontaneously snatched off his green stocking cap.

As he was dragged back to _Volvagia,_ he looked with stinging grief and shame over the corpses of HRNS Divine Beast's crew. His eyes stopped on Auru, who he noticed was still alive. The old captain was sitting against the main mast, his lifeblood draining out of multiple grievous wounds. Their eyes met. "I'm sorry," Link mouthed. Auru nodded and saluted him. Link attempted to do the same as tears stung his eyes and clouded his vision, but a pirate held his hand down tightly. Then Auru died.

Link's fury boiled over again, and he suddenly let out a thundering roar and shook himself violently. Catching his retainers by surprise, he freed his right arm. Immediately, he stole the cutlass out of the pirate's scabbard and ran him through. The other man attempted to subdue him by hauling down on his other arm, but the Hyrulean whirled on him and struck with such force on his neck that his head rolled off his shoulders and blood fountained for a second. Thoroughly enraged, Link sprinted headlong into the group of pirates following the fire-haired man onto _Volvagia_ , and flailed the blade out wildly, cutting deep wounds in many and killing others of them before he was once again subdued. This time though, they began to beat him with the pommels of their swords and with their boots and fists. Soon, Link had blacked out beneath the raining blows with nothing in his mind but red hot anger and grief.


	8. At the End of a Rope

Frigid water struck Link's face like an icy slap, saturating his bloodied hair. Instinctually, he recoiled and hugged his knees to his chest as he lay on the ground. Everything hurt. On top of that, it was _beyond_ cold. And now he was soaked. Despite all that, he was alive.

But then the memory of what he had last seen hit him, and it did so like a physical impact. Auru was _not_ alive. Neither was Mido. As Mido's lifeless visage crossed his mind's eye, his hand automatically went inside his leather jerkin and produced the red haired sailor's stocking cap. It was the same color as Link's green jerkin. In memory of Mido and the rest of _Divine Beast's_ crew, he put it on. Then he opened his eyes. He was in a small prison cell lying on its stone floor. No wonder he was so cold. In the doorway of his cell was a man in the uniform of the Hyrulean castle guard holding an empty - but still dripping - bucket.

"Get up kid, your trial is about to begin."

 _Trial?_ Link thought. "I'm on trial?" He attempted to rise, but his aching legs gave out. His sinuses were clogged, and he sneezed.

"Yeah, you damn traitor. You nearly killed one of the guards in the marketplace, and then you led HRNS Divine Beast on a reckless mission into the west which resulted in the deaths of her entire crew at the hands of the merciless pirates."

"What?!" Link was aghast. "The King ordered that voyage!"

The guard looked taken aback. "He did no such thing!"

"Do you honestly believe that lying scumbag? He sent bloody bounty hunters out after me!"

"Hold your treasonous tongue, boy! If you aren't careful, you'll find yourself hanging at the end of a rope," the guard added darkly. "Now come on! My lieutenant won't look kindly on me if i don't get you to the throne room soon." The man moved forward and seized Link's shoulders, hauling him up onto his feet. The young sailor made a weak attempt to run but his legs gave out again, sending him crashing down onto the stone floor of the dungeon. The guard chuckled. "By Din, they sure did beat you well enough." The man bound Link's wrists behind his back with a length of rope, and picked him back up forcefully.

* * *

"Where is father?" Zelda whispered sidelong to her brother.

"I believe he is still in bed with his fever. I sent the old hag Kotake to his quarters last night to take him some red potion," her brother responded quietly. She sighed. Prince Daphnes Nohansen had grown sickly in the past months, and his two children worried about him.

Shortly, one of the castle guards practically dragged the incriminated sailor into the throne room, and a few people looked on in silence from seats lining the grand room. In one of those seats, the secretly worried princess sat next to her brother.

"Gods," She whispered to Zeyde, "what have they done to him?" Link's white undershirt was splattered with blood and grime, and the right sleeve was nearly torn off at the shoulder seam. His once clean cropped beard looked haggard. His nose was slightly crooked, appearing broken. Blood was caked in streaks from his face down to where it stained his shirt. His forest green jerkin had multiple small holes in it and he wore a green stocking cap which he had not been wearing on the day of Pipit's rescue.

The siblings looked on in distress as the man who had brought him in shoved him forcefully down to his knees before the short stairs to the throne.

Sitting on his immaculate seat, the King of Hyrule looked scornfully at the bruised and battered man kneeling before him. "Ahhhh, so this is Link Forester; the young man who freed a criminal, assaulted my guards, and commandeered my galleon HRNS Divine Beast, resulting in the brutal murder of her entire crew, including the noble Captain Auru."

"I commandeered no ship!" the young sailor cried out, attempting to rise from his kneeling position. The guard standing by him shoved him back down however, sending him to his hands and knees. Ghirahim smiled devilishly as he watched his soldier then step on Link's back between his shoulder blades, forcing his face down against the stone.

From their seats up in the gallery where royal members of the audience attended events such as a high scale trial or even coronation, Zelda began to stand up in protest, but Zeyde caught her arm, bringing her back down.

"This isn't right!" the princess practically yelled at her brother, though in a whisper.

"Zelda, it bothers me just as much as it bothers you, but we cannot afford to give away our stance just yet. If Ghirahim was to find out that we were against him, there is no telling what he might do," Zeyde said quietly, locking eyes with her. After a moment, the fire in her eyes subsided and she nodded.

"You're right. I just…" She murmured, looking back out to where Link was pressed against the floor at the base of the few short stairs which led up to the royal seat. Then something else caught her eye. Behind the throne in a dark corner stood an imposing figure in a dark cloak. A hood shrouded its features, but it looked to be hylian. "Look there!" she whispered, pointing minimally in the general direction of the figure. "Behind the throne," she added to clarify.

"Who in Din's name is that?" her brother whispered back. The cloak which covered the strange figure was black with sparse yellow designs on it.

Zelda didn't answer, but she suddenly felt a palpable tension in the air, almost as though static electricity was running through her, and she became very afraid. She couldn't tear her eyes off the figure. A certain intangible darkness radiated from it, and something deep within her could _feel_ that foreboding shadow. Something within her very soul. It was almost as though she had seen it before. Her heart rate began to increase and her skin grew warmer.

Then the gaunt ruler cackled, and her attention was drawn to it. Without her noticing, she began to return to normal; the moment of tension past. _All_ tension was not relaxed, however, and as she saw the reason for his cackling, she fought the urge to rise to her feet again and cry out in anger. He had produced - as if from nowhere - a red hot brand and was shaking it in the sailor's face.

To her surprise however, the emotion that was written on Link's face was anything but fear. He knelt stoically in front of the brand, and didn't flinch as the guard tore open the front of his jerkin.

Zelda knew what the brand was, but she hadn't seen Ghirahim fetch it this time. It branded a person a traitor so that all would know what they were for the rest of their days, no matter how many or few those days numbered. It would scar his flesh just beneath his right collar bone so that it was easily reachable for anyone who wanted to see it. Every man she had ever witnessed receive the brand had screamed at the pain.

The guard had ripped away his shirt now so that his chest was exposed. Link did not quaver though; instead he stared Ghirahim straight in the eyes with such intensity that the king himself actually shuddered briefly. The sailor's steely blue eyes pierced the ruler's flesh and penetrated into his soul.

Growling, the tyrannous monarch jabbed the brand onto Link's upper chest, just beneath his collar bone. Zelda immediately whipped her head away, not willing to watch. Her face went into Zeyde's shoulder. His hand went to her head and stroked her hair as he watched painfully.

She didn't have to watch to know what was happening though. The sickening _hiss_ that was produced caused her to shudder.

She heard Link groan through clenched teeth. He glared into Ghirahim's black eyes, ignoring the obviously agonizing pain of the blazing hot iron on his skin. Furious at the boy's minimal reaction, Ghirahim stepped back with the brand and hurled it aside. As it clanged and clattered away, he stepped back up to his throne, fuming. When he reached it, he whirled around, pointing a long bony finger at Link.

"I sentence you to death!" the half crazed king exclaimed. "You shall be hanged, drawn, and quartered as a traitor to the royal crown of Hyrule!"

Zelda's eyes were back on the room below in an instant when she heard this.

"Noo!" the princess cried out, unable to stop herself. All eyes in the throne room swung up into the galleries to rest on her, including Link's and Ghirahim's. Hot tears sprung to her eyes and she sat back in her seat, embarrassed.

"Excuse me, my dear niece?" the King queried with an evident hint of malice.

Zelda could clearly see the irritation in his features, and the genuine confusion in Link's when he recognized her. She regained her composure. "Your Imminence, with all due respect, I do believe that this man should be given a fai— "

"You forget your place, _princess,"_ Ghirahim added her title with explicit disdain, nearly spitting it out of his mouth. "Am I to understand that you favor this violent scoundrel?" Both Zelda's and Zeyde's mouths fell open at the indisputable insult, and Zeyde immediately came to his sister's defense.

"King Ghirahim, as a member of the royal family, Zelda has a rightful say in the goings on of your court, and it is not in your power to— "

"Be careful how you address your king, boy! Do not forget who the one with absolute power is. _I_ have the power to destroy you AND your pathetic father! Guards, send them out of my presence at once. I do not wish to argue with them further. And as for the boy, his sentence shall commence at once! Fasten him to a hurdle and draw him to Gallow Tree! String him up and then wait for my arrival to begin the execution." Link's handler bowed low and nodded his understanding, then jerked the condemned sailor back to his feet.

"They cannot do this!" Zelda cried as she rushed out of the throne room with Zeyde hot on her heels. They surged down the stairs from the gallery, through various spacious hallways and out of a side door in the castle."We must get to Telma!"

"Wait Zelda," Zeyde said, stopping briefly and catching his sister's arm.

"What?! We have to hurry!"

"I know, but I don't want you to do this. The risk is too great. Let me go on my own, that way if i am caught, you are still safe and able to remain unassociated with rebellious folks." At her brother's words, Zelda's features softened.

"I know it's dangerous, Zeyde," the princess murmured, "but it is very much my fault that he is in this position. I helped him rescue Pipit." Zeyde stayed in front of her.

"All the same. You will be a far better leader than I. If either of us should be at risk, it should be me. I'm a fighter, not a strategist."

"Zeyde, I'm going. Come on! The sailor doesn't have much time!" With that, she brushed her brother's hand off her arm and dashed around the corner of the castle. Sighing, Zeyde followed her. They both knew that they had to stay in the alleys, running in the narrow gaps between buildings, and staying away from the main thoroughfares where guards were liable to be.

They raced through the narrower passageways in the outskirts of Castle Town. It did not take them long to reach Telma's bar. They burst through the door and Zelda addressed the healthy barkeep. "Telma!" The darker skinned woman looked up at the sound of her name, and cocked her head in confusion. She knew she recognized this young woman, but could not place her.

"Who— " she began, but the desperate princess cut her off.

"No time to explain! They are executing Link!"

Then the barkeep had it. She was the girl who had helped Link rescue Pipit, but now she was wearing an elegant pink dress and it had thrown her memory off. " _WHAT_?! Why in the name of Din would they be doing that?!"

The princess repeated herself. "No time to explain! We must save him, but how?"

"It depends," Telma said with a terrified glint in her eye.

"On what?" Zeyde spoke up.

"On what sick method they're using."

Zelda looked sideways at her brother, but when he didn't say it, she sighed. "They are to hang, draw, and quarter him as a traitor," Zelda practically whispered, her eyes downcast. The sentence was almost too horrible to utter aloud. She had only ever seen one man executed in that way, and she would never forget the way he had shrieked and screamed as they had removed his entrails before his eyes. She shuddered just remembering it.

"Gods no," Telma breathed. There were others in the bar, and they went from quiet to utterly silent at the proclamation that the young sailor would be executed in such a brutal way. Suddenly, the large woman sprang to action. She seized a broom from under the bar and raised it up and jabbed the ceiling with it. "Pipit! Come down here at once!" Turning to the two royals, she said: "I've been hiding Pipit in the attic ever since you rescued him. We must make our move while they are hanging him. I will ask P— "

" _WHILE_ they are hanging him?!" the princess blurted out.

"As much as it pains me to admit it, yes. That will be our best chance to make a move since he will be stationary, and more likely than not, onlookers will be as well. I'll ask Pipit to load his two flintlock pistols and grab his sword," the tavern keeper explained, taking control of the situation. Pipit then descended the stairs and joined them in the main dining room in front of the bar. "Pipit, we don't have much time, Link is being executed! We've gotta rescue him!" Immediately, the dark haired man bolted back up the stairs.

Zeyde and his sister meanwhile, were getting very impatient.

"Hey! What are you two doing here?!" The two royals spun around as a guard in uniform stepped across the threshold of Telma's bar looking accusingly at them.

Spontaneously, Zeyde bluffed. "Oh guard! Thank the goddesses you're here! I chased a man here; he was going to attempt a rescue of the traitorous criminal! We must stop him!"

The guard fell for the ruse immediately. "Which way did he go?"

"That way!" Zelda joined in now, pointing up the stairs. The guard began to move that direction, but as he passed Zeyde, the prince tapped him on the shoulder, calling out to him.

"Wait!" The guard whirled back around to see a fist flying at his face. Zeyde's knuckles connected with the man's nose squarely and powerfully, knocking him out cold.

"Hurry up Pipit! Link is running out of time!" Telma began to make long strides toward the stairs when the dark haired sailor appeared there again, this time with two flintlocks strapped across his chest as well as a cutlass hanging at his hip. Sitting on his head was a stocking cap like the one Link had been wearing, except Pipit's was yellow.

"Then let's go save him," the sailor said as he descended the stairs.

* * *

More and more people had begun to follow the horse that dragged Link along through the streets. The guard who had fetched him from his cell and brought him before Ghirahim now paraded him around the marketplace in an attempt to gather more of a following.

"This is Link Forester, assailant and traitor. He has been fairly tried by the just King Ghirahim and has been found guilty! He will be taken to Gallow Tree to be hung until he is nearly dead, and then he will be brought down and drawn open!" The crowd was not acting the way he wanted; they were strangely quiet. Unbeknownst to the man, rumors of Link's true deeds had been spread amongst the populace in the days following his arrival to castle town, and as a result, few members of the gathering crowd truly believed him to be a criminal deserving of this fate. "His filthy entrails will be extracted and he will be beheaded! Shortly thereafter, his body will be quartered and his quarters displayed at each Castle Town exit to warn any who might oppose his righteous majesty!" A few cheers rose from the crowd but not nearly as many as he normally received at that time.

Agitated since he had not achieved the reaction he was looking for but satisfied that he had rounded up a fairly sizable throng of people, the guard dragged Link's hurdle to and out of Castle Town's south gate. Gallow Tree was very close to the end of the draw bridge which crossed the moat, and was called such because of its sturdy branch which was located at the perfect height to hang criminals at. And countless criminals _had_ been hanged from it. And today, Link would be hanged from it, only not until death. The soldier's horse stepped off the bridge now and onto the hard dirt road. Guiding the horse slightly to its left, Ghirahim's servant brought the young sailor to Gallow Tree.

Beneath Gallow Tree, a small structure mounted on wheels had been built. The condemned would be marched up the stairs of the unsteady contraption, then have the noose tied around his neck The structure would then be rolled away, leaving the criminal to hang by their neck.

The blonde sailor had been stripped of his torn green jerkin and his bloodied white undershirt, and now the hurdle he was bound to drew to a halt. He knew exactly where he was. He himself had watched plenty of criminals hanged for their crimes from Gallow Tree. Had he truly been a murderer, a pirate or a traitor, he may have been at peace with accepting his fate, but he was none of those things, so he wouldn't go down with out a fight. He was searching for his best route of escape. He couldn't well make a run for it across Hyrule field, as the other guards would easily catch him from their horses. He couldn't very well attempt to kill all the guards as he was unarmed, weakened, and severely outnumbered.

As he was considering this, his handler came up to the hurdle and unfastened him. He drew Link into a kneeling position and then produced a small length of rope with which he moved to bind the condemned's hands together. Link flexed his wrists as hard as he could as the rope went about his hands, but the guard was tying them so tight that it didn't help him at all, and now he was bound again. The guard looked at him and chuckled, but when Link's eyes met his, the guard suddenly struck down on Link's face, sending him down onto his hands and knees. As two more soldiers moved to Gallow Tree to help the hangman prepare his noose, Link's guard wound up and delivered a kick to his exposed ribs. The gathered crowd was silent as the sailor lay on his side.

Normally, the crowd would be hurling insults and rotten fruit and would be jeering at the criminal, but today they merely watched in anxious silence, and it was setting the soldiers' nerves on edge. Link's handler grabbed the green stocking cap on the sailor's head which was somehow still there, and yanked it off, hurling it in a random direction. Then, he snatched a handful of Link's hair and hauled him up by it. The young man grimaced, but didn't make a sound. The guard then practically dragged him to where the noose was being completed and forced him up the rickety wooden steps to stand upon the deck of the structure.

"It's ready," the hangman announced gruffly, putting out his hand to accept the doomed sailor's bindings.

Link's handler nodded to the man with a crooked smile and put the length of rope between Link's wrists into the hangman's hand, transferring Link to the professional killer. "Don't screw it up this time, Byrne. We need him _alive_ when his royal highness gets here." The man in the black hangman's hood simply grunted assent.

* * *

The central avenue which led out the south gate and across the bridge was relatively crowded, so it was an ideal route for the rescuers to take out of the city. Pipit, followed by Zeyde and Zelda, turned onto the cobblestone road cautiously, making sure there were no Hyrulean soldiers nearby. When he was sure there were none, he began to lead them south, making progress. They wove their way through the crowds, drawing nary an eye with hastily acquired cloaks draped across their shoulders and hoods over their heads.

It wasn't long before they passed through the gate and were crossing over the bridge. Slightly to their left, a vast crowd had gathered. A small portion of the crowd was being boisterous, but the rest were relatively quiet. In the past, executions had drawn far larger crowds and the people there had been far more hostile toward the condemned, but within the last few months, the people had grown less excited about the executions since it was known that Ghirahim was an unfair judge and ruthless enforcer of his law.

Pipit led confidently, and as they reached the throng, he began to plow his way through the people, evoking several muted curses from startled members of the mass.

Worry rose in Zelda's heart with every step that she took as they pushed their way through the crowd, fearing that they would be too late and the young sailor would already be doomed. Images flashed through her mind of Link hanging by his neck, his lifeless eyes staring coldly at the ground. It seemed as though her whole being shook with anxiety. Her breath was coming faster. Then she heard the horribly familiar sound of creaking wheels and a woman's muffled cry from up front. At that moment Pipit broke into as much of a run as possible, barreling through whomever was in their way.

Finally he reached the front of the crowd and they saw Link, swinging slightly, his feet roughly three feet off the ground. Cuts and bruises were rampant on his torso and his flesh still bubbled slightly where he had been branded on his chest. The rope behind his head forced him to look down, but he struggled weakly.

"Link!" the princess cried out.

Five soldiers stood around the area, making sure no citizens made any moves toward the criminal. When Pipit emerged from the crowd, the nearest guard immediately moved to him.

"Hey! Back up, peasant! This is— wait, I know you. You're—" the air was suddenly driven out of his lungs as Pipit's fist struck him with lightning speed. He doubled over gasping for breath, and the dark haired sailor yanked the rapier from the man's own sheath and then plunged it down into his thigh. In an instant, the soldier was on the ground howling.

Realizing they were under attack, the four other present guardsmen drew their weapons to engage Pipit. Quickly, he drew his first pre-loaded flintlock from his bandolier and fired it at the next nearest soldier. The man shrieked in a combination of surprise and agony as the lead ball from Pipit's pistol punctured his hip and crashed to the grassy field. Pipit's other hand already had his second flintlock out and was firing it at the third oncoming man. This time, the lead ball struck its target in the dead-center of his chest, killing him nearly immediately. Zeyde moved to engage the fourth and Pipit drew his cutlass to attack the final member of Ghirahim's guard. As Zeyde incapacitated his guardsman, Pipit avoided an attack from his own adversary and ended the fight quickly with a swift counterstrike.

All five present members of Ghirahim's guard downed either temporarily or permanently; the rescuers moved toward the hanging sailor. Zeyde reached the trunk of Gallow Tree where the rope was fastened, and cut it with his blade. Wrapping his arms around Link's legs, Pipit lowered his fellow sailor down to the earth softly.

The crowd which had gathered simply stared dumfounded at the event that had just unfolded so quickly. One moment, the young navy man was to be executed and the next, he was free.

Now he was doubled over on his knees coughing with the girl and one of the other young men by his side with hands on either of his shoulders. He recovered quickly though, and after they helped him to his feet, they looked out at the crowd nervously.

In the moment of uncertainty, Zeyde stepped forward and addressed the gathered people. "My fellow Hyruleans, today you have seen first hand the tyranny of the king. This man has committed none of the crimes for which he was to be put to death for," he said, loud enough for everyone present to hear. Ghirahim is a jealous scoundrel worthy of naught but the darkest cells in Hyrule Castle's dungeon. He has turned our beloved home into a land of fear and poverty! From this day forward, I and my most noble sister will take up this sailor's cause and strive to overthrow the terrible king!" A couple of cheers rose from here and there, but not all of the Hyruleans in attendance agreed.

"How can you hope to overthrow King Ghirahim?" a voice from within the crowd cried out.

"Who are you to speak such treason?" called another.

"I am Prince Zeyde, and my sister is Princess Zelda; we are the son and daughter of the king's noble brother, Prince Daphnes! Myself and my family will defend the poor and powerless, and we will from this day forward attempt to right the king's wrongdoings and bring his bitter rule to a swift end!" After he finished, the crowd was silent for a time; stunned that he had the audacity to speak so boldly and so openly against the crown.

"The king is coming with his entourage! You must get away!" Zeyde and his fellow conspirators looked to where the voice was coming from, and it was a man who had shoved his way through the (still quiet) crowd to the front. Pipit recognized the man as Gepper, an employee at Mama's Cafe in Castle Town.

Just then, trumpets could be heard accompanied by the sound of hooves clattering over the draw bridge.

"Where is Telma?!" Zelda asked nervously. "She was supposed to be right behind us!"

"It takes longer than you might think to get horses yolked to a wagon, but she'll be here in time," Pipit answered quietly.

Suddenly, the trumpets were less organized and spattered confusedly and then ceased altogether. Voices shouted commands, but from beyond the crowd, none of it was understandable. Momentarily, the top of a covered wagon was visible behind the people, and the crowd began to split hastily down the middle to make way for it.

"HURRY UP, Y'ALL !" Telma bellowed as her horse-drawn wagon rumbled over the grassy field through the peasants and toward the companions. Not too far behind her were a few mounted guardsmen in pursuit, and further behind them, the rest of the king's entourage.

As quickly as they could, Pipit and Zeyde helped Link run toward the wagon with Zelda behind them. As Telma approached them, she hauled on her reins. One of her horses neighed loudly, but they never-the-less stopped the heavy cart shortly in front of the four companions. Pipit took a seat next to Telma on the bench driver's seat of the wagon while Zeyde and Zelda helped Link into the back.

Before they were all the way into the wagon, Telma had the horses moving again. As they picked up speed, a loud crack rang out and a lead ball tore through the canvas cover of the wagon, narrowly missing its occupants and whizzing out the front between the heads of Pipit and Telma. A second later, another flintlock reported and another projectile punctured the canvas. This ball grazed Zeyde's shoulder and exited the wagon via the opposite fabric wall.

Moments later, one of Ghirahim's horsemen drew up beside Pipit. He was so close when he appeared in Pipit's peripheral vision that the dark haired sailor jumped slightly, but his reactions were too quick for the assailant. His cutlass was out in a flash and struck the soldier square in the bridge of his nose with the razor sharp cutting edge. The man's head whipped back and he toppled over his steed's rump.

Another guard was galloping beside him a moment later and attempted to transfer to the wagon while his horse was at full gallop. He grabbed ahold of Pipit's shoulder and hauled on him, trying to pull him off the wagon, but Pipit's cutlass descended upon the man's arm, shearing through his white shirt easily and cutting deeply into the unarmored flesh. The man cried out in agony and let go immediately, losing his balance between his horse and the wagon. A split-second later, he was falling to the grassy plain below.

At the rear of the wagon, Zeyde was fiercely trying to shed an attacker as the soldier attempted to board the wagon from behind. Grappling with the man, the prince was completely matched. Ghirahim's man had nearly pulled Zeyde over the edge of the wagon when his eyes went wide and his grip on the prince released. He fell backward and off the wagon clutching at his chest. Zeyde looked down as the man fell and saw a hand outstretched from behind him holding a now bloody dagger.

He sat hastily back, relieved that the brief wrestling match was over, and looked up at his rescuer. It was Link. Behind the sailor, his sister sat wide eyed.

"Thank you," Zeyde said earnestly, taking a shaky breath.

The blonde sailor nodded. "Thank you too," he practically whispered.

* * *

 ** _A/N_** _\- Alright folks: for any of you who are consistently interested in this, thank you. The huge delay was mostly due to lack of motivation and i apologize for that. The computer i had been writing this on crashed and i lost all of it and many other things, including the map that i had drawn on paint for myself for reference while writing this. So yeah, low motivation is a killer when it comes to writing. Anyhow, i uploaded a picture to deviant art a few weeks ago depicting how i picture Link in the first part of this adventure. If you're interested to see that, my profile name over there is hockeybro777 and it is my only upload._

 _Thanks for your time if you have read all the way to here!_


	9. Flight

"Everyone alright back there?" Telma called from the driver's bench of the wagon.

"Yes," Zelda responded quickly. Then, as Link's sharp eyes landed on her, she flushed and averted her gaze, hoping to avoid the question he doubtlessly had for her. Despite their situation, Link almost laughed. He decided to spare her for the time being.

The wagon was not built for human cargo, and as a result, the interior contained no benches or furniture of any sort, so Zeyde and Zelda ended up sitting against one side with Link across from them.

"So Link," Zeyde began, and the young sailor's gaze lifted to meet his. A gash that Zeyde had't noticed yet suddenly seemed to stare him in the face. How had he missed it before? Above Link's right eyebrow was a deep cut that must have come from the pommel of a pirate's sword or boot. After a moment of uncertainty, the prince continued. "What _actually_ happened out there at sea?" After a second of silence, the prince attempted to clarify. "You know, since Ghirahim obviously twisted the truth to fit his putrid machinations."

Link nodded slowly, gathering his thoughts. "As you knew originally, the HRNS Divine Beast had been ordered by King Ghirahim himself to go after _Volvagia._ I decided I would join them because I was, along with the late Captain of the HRNS Loftwing, assigned to protect a precious cargo hidden on _Loftwing._ Zant had successfully acquired that item, so I felt it was my duty to recover it. Bearing that in mind, I joined them.

"We sailed out west and crossed the Norsuthern Current, then we sailed to where _Volvagia_ makes berth, the Forsaken Fortress." At his mention of the legendary stronghold, both royals gasped.

"You mean to say it truly exists?" Zeyde asked, bewildered. The sailor nodded grimly.

"I too thought it was a myth until that voyage. My mind has been forced to change though." Link's eyes gazed intensely through the floor of the wagon as he recalled the events that had transpired. "I told this to Captain Auru and a couple of his sailors on the morning that we set sail from Windfall, and the more I think about it, the more I'm convinced that it proves the existence of everything we once thought to be legend. On that fateful afternoon when Zant and his crew destroyed _Loftwing_ , I was in the crow's nest. When _Volvagia_ emerged from the dense fog, I shouted down to the deck of its presence. I looked at the helm through my spyglass and saw Zant. The thing is, he saw me too and I don't mean he incidentally glanced up in my direction; I mean he looked up at me and made _eye contact_ with me. I could feel his awful yellow eyes staring me down. That is nothing if not dark magic. So if that exists, then do all things related to that dark magic exist?

"Anyhow, as for the Forsaken Fortress, that… place, is a thing straight out of children's nightmares. It is cursed with eternal night. The sky, although you can still _see_ the sun, is black as night. It's as though the sun were nothing more than an extraordinarily bright star; its light not bright enough to reach the surface of the Fortress." The eyes of the two young people across from him seemed to grow steadily as he described the evil fortress; all of their childhood nightmares suddenly becoming real. "The occupants of the fortress include bokoblins and moblins, both more foul than in any myth you've ever read or been told of them.

"Anyway, when we were within a mile or two of the fortress, Captain Auru stopped the ship, as none of the sailors aboard wanted to get any nearer. I can't blame them for that of course, so I armed myself and took a dinghy in alone. Long story short, I skulked through the compound until i reached my destination; _Volvagia._ I snuck up and into Zant's cabin and found the item of interest."

"What is this item you speak of? How could it possibly be so important that you would enter the Forbidden Fortress of legend alone and risk life and limb to retrieve it from the clutches of such foes?" Zelda asked, clearly on the edge of her seat.

"Will you believe me if I tell you?" The two royals exchanged a quick glance then they each nodded to him, so he continued. "It was a map."

"A treasure map?" This time it was Zeyde who interrupted. "Sorry," he said quickly when Link sighed.

"It was — _is_ a map of Hyrule that reveals the location of the legendary Temple of Power. I didn't tell Auru this at the time, but it also contains the one route through the temple itself that is safe, so if one has this map, they can successfully acquire the Triforce of Power itself." When the young sailor finished describing the map, there was an extended silence as he let that foreboding information sink in.

After a minute or so he interrupted their thoughts to continue his tale. "Unbeknownst to me, Zant knew I was there all along, and I was trapped aboard _Volvagia_. When I attempted to escape with the map in tow, I was caught and after a brief scuffle, thrown in _Volvagia's_ brig. Then, with the map in his possession, Zant ordered the— wait, I forgot to mention one thing. When Zant's crew caught me in my attempt to escape, Zant was going to kill me on the spot… but… another man appeared and ordered him to spare me for the time being. This man was immense; massive. Easily over two meters tall, but he—"

"Lady and gentlemen back there! We have more soldiers approaching our tail!" Pipit shouted back to them; their pace accelerating again. Zeyde maneuvered himself so he could look out the back of the carriage and parted the two canvas flaps which acted as a curtain. Some distance away but gaining ground quickly were ten more soldiers hunched low over their mounts.

"How will we escape them?!" Zelda asked.

"We can't honey, we're gonna hafta fight 'em off!" Telma shouted from her position at the reins. Preparing for conflict, Pipit snatched one of his flintlocks from his makeshift bandolier and began to reload it.

"Link," he said, and his fellow sailor turned to look at him through the front of the carriage. "Take this. It's loaded." The two young sailors leaned toward one another and the weapon was passed to Link.

"Thanks," he said, turning back to join Zeyde at the rear.

Pipit then reloaded his second flintlock. "Zeyde." The prince turned around at the sound of his name to see Pipit holding the pistol out to him, offering it to him. "Take this. It's loaded."

"Thank you, Pipit," the young royal replied as he procured the weapon.

"Pipit, lift the seat of our bench," Telma said, standing up precariously on the railing for their feet.

"Wha?"

"Do as I say!" the woman commanded. Pipit obeyed and lifted the seat up, revealing an elongated compartment housing a firearm.

"A _blunderbuss?!_ "

"Pick it up already!"

"Aye," Pipit said, plucking the weapon out of the bench and putting the seat back down. Gazing at it in wonder, he looked at Telma as she sat back down. "Where in the blazes did you get this?!" But the healthy barkeep simply grinned and winked at him. Then she reached into her jacket and procured a small box.

"This has two loads of powder, wad, and shot in it," she said, handing the box to him. "You've got two shots darlin'. Make 'em count."

"Perfect," Pipit almost whispered, and set to loading the firearm.

"They're nearly upon us now!" Zeyde shouted. He and Link watched as the ten horsemen drew nearer; Zelda a meter or so behind them peering between their heads. Strangely, Link noticed that two of them had bows slung over their shoulders. Bows took far more practice to excel at than firearms and he wouldn't have expected the Hyrulean army to utilize them much within their ranks. Why would they be brought along in the stead of a gun in this situation? That thought aside, two of the other horsemen were getting dangerously close.

For a bizarre moment, the two horsemen merely maintained a steady five or so meters from their cart. Then they each raised flintlocks and took aim at the fugitives. Before Zeyde and Link were able to move however, the pistols reported. One of the lead balls missed them entirely while the other one struck Prince Zeyde in the bicep.

The prince cried out, clutching his wound and falling to a laying position in the wagon.

"Zeyde!" Zelda moved to her brother's side immediately, not knowing where he had been struck. Link on the other hand raised his own flintlock and fired. The projectile slammed into the lower portion of one of the riders' helmets, killing him and sending him off the rump of his horse. The second man advanced his horse and drew his rapier, attempting to board the wagon. In a snap-decision, Link decided to actually back off and allow him to almost make it on, then when most of the man's weight was transferred, the sailor lunged forward and shoved him sideways, throwing off his balance and causing him to flail before falling to the grassy field below.

Eight threats remaining.

Two more soldiers broke off from the main bunch and rushed the carriage. This time, however, they split and straddled the wagon, riding up to where Pipit and Telma were seated. The first one rode up next to Pipit and slashed at him with his rapier, but the dark haired sailor was ready and caught the blow on his cutlass. They exchanged attacks on each others blades for a few seconds and were engaged fiercely when Pipit heard Telma cry out. Desperately fending off his own attacker however, he could hardly spare a moment to check on her. Back and forth their blades flashed, until finally Pipit gained the upper hand and was able to disarm the man. Capitalizing on his opportunity, the sailor leaned over and stabbed the soldier in the throat.

Turning his attention to Telma, he saw the grand woman gripping her assailant's sword arm around his wrist, trying desperately to hold on and keep his deadly blade tied up.

"Telma, duck!" Pipit shouted, picking up the blunderbuss and pointing it through her and at the soldier. As soon as she was out of the way, he squeezed the trigger. Direct hit, and he was almost sickened by the results. At that distance, he was fairly certain every piece of shot found its target. The man was dead instantaneously, and slumped sideways off his steed.

"Phew! Thank ya honey. How many of them are left? If we continue this way and crest this up and coming hill, we'll be in—"

"—The small farming community of Hanch," Pipit said quickly, finishing her sentence.

"More soldiers," came Link's calm voice just over the sound of the hoofbeats and the wagon, alerting them that another group was breaking off and making their attack. Looking back toward Ghirahim's men, Pipit saw four more riders begin to close the gap between their compatriots and the fugitives, leaving only two behind. The first two drew their rapiers while the second two produced flintlocks. As quick as he would dare, Link glanced back at the two royals. Tetra — or Princess Zelda as he was now aware — was kneeling by her brother, tending to his arm. "Your Highness, get down!" She obeyed immediately.

One of the gunmen took aim at Link and fired, but was unable to keep his aim true with the jolting of his galloping horse, and his shot whizzed past Link's ear, striking the framing at the top of the wagon. The other firearm wielding attacker wouldn't make the same mistake. He would wait until he was almost at point blank when the galloping motion of his steed couldn't ruin his aim and he would kill the criminal and bring his rebellious head back to Ghirahim for reward.

Link watched as the other man brandishing a flintlock drew his horse closer and closer to the wagon, holding the weapon in front of him threateningly and looking Link square in the eyes with a malevolent smile on his features that curled his brown mustache. Link waited anxiously, unsure of what to do, since he had no cover and nowhere to hide. He knew all too well what kind of damage that one tiny lead ball could do, and he wasn't about ready to let that happen to any of the people on this wagon.

He turned back to face the princess. "Your Highness, slide me the pistol please," he said, pointing at the flintlock which Pipit had given Zeyde. She obeyed immediately, sliding it across the floorboards of the wagon. Scooping up the weapon, Link turned back around to face their assailant. He brought the gun up to eye level. The soldier looked at the weapon in surprise and fear and tried to duck against his horse's neck, but he was still an easy target. Link peered down the short barrel and pulled the trigger. The cock shot forward with a click, but after the smoke plumed, the pistol had not reported and there was no recoil. After an instant of confusion, Link realized what had occurred and cursed under his breath, discarding the flintlock onto the floor of the wagon.

"What happened?" came Zelda's voice from behind him.

"Flash in the pan," Link shot back.

"What's that?" the royal asked.

"Another time," the sailor said as Ghirahim's guardsman looked back up. When the man realized that the pistol was no longer in Link's hand, his wicked grin returned and he urged his steed onward. Link's mind raced as the horseman closed in on 5 meters. Then an idea sprung into his mind. The hill leading to the village of Hanch was just in front of them now, and he decided to take a risk and wait until they reached it to make his move; that hill would give him a higher chance of success. Any second now, the soldier would take his shot.

Then the wagon tilted and they were on the incline. Link dropped the curtain shut and backed up past Zelda and Zeyde to the front of the wagon, then prepared himself to launch back out toward the assailant.

"What are you doing?!" the princess asked him in alarm. He looked at her and tried a grin.

"Taking a leap of faith," he said wryly. Then he bear-crawled as fast as he could and coordinated his gait so his feet would hit the end of the wagon and launched himself into the air, hurtling at the astonished soldier. The man's smirk was gone the instant he saw the sailor flying at him.

"Woah!" he shouted while attempting to haul on the reins, and then Link collided with him, tackling him from his horse to the ground violently. The impact of them on the ground drove the wind of Link's lungs and in the tumble, something sharp tore at his branded flesh beneath his collar bone. He stifled an agonized outcry and in mere seconds, the other soldiers had ridden by them at full speed. Forcing himself to move, Link recovered like from the fall faster than the soldier, pulled a knife out of his boot, and jabbed it into the mustachioed man's throat. Link then leapt up and procured the dead man's still-loaded flintlock. He stumbled toward the confused horse that had been beginning to trot away and struggled to mount it. Once he was in the saddle, he slapped the reins and set off after his companions.

The wagon reached the apex of the hill when he was roughly half way up it, and the two of Ghirahim's men hanging back were midway between them. But Link had always been able to garner untold potential out of horses, and it was no different with this one.

"Ya!" he shouted, kicking its sides with his boots and ignoring his burning skin. The horse whinnied and accelerated with a jerk, nearly doubling its original speed. In no time at all, he was catching up to the two riders who happened to be the ones armed with bows. Then he shot between them and over the apex of the hill. To his dismay, as his view of Telma's carriage returned, he could see one rider dueling Pipit on the left side of the wagon, one riding up to Telma's side, and the other attempting to board it from behind with no one to stop him. Where was Zeyde? Regardless, he couldn't let that soldier get successfully into the back of the wagon. He bent low over the horse's back and stood in the stirrups, riding it as lightly as possible. He was gaining on the wagon quickly, but not quickly enough. In moments, the soldier was on board, and drew a dagger to kill the occupants. He pushed the canvas curtain aside and Link heard Tetra scream.

"Noo!" he shouted, willing his steed to go faster. Then he whipped out the flintlock and took a wild aim. He was accustomed to shooting in uneven movement because of his time on the sea, but horseback riding consisted of more abrupt movement. Never-the-less, he sighted down the short barrel and squeezed the trigger before he lost his chance. The weapon shouted its CRACK and the lead ball tore through the curtain just as the solider dropped it behind him.

On the right of the wagon, the man drawing up even with Telma received a vicious strike of her whip across his visage. His hands went to his face immediately and he howled in pain. It almost looked as though he dove off his horse, landing hard on the ground.

Seconds later, Pipit dispatched his enemy successfully, and the soldier crashed to the grassy field.

And then they were rumbling through Hanch.

There were only a few small homesteads in Hanch along with a tavern, and already they were nearly halfway through it. Link was catching back up now, and in moments, they would be riding out the north side of it.

Sitting on the porch of the last home they passed was a dark haired man smoking a pipe. As the wagon hauled by with a bare chested horseman tailing it and two guardsmen following further behind, the man sitting on his porch nearly dropped his pipe in astonishment. Nothing exciting ever happened in Hanch.

Then the wagon and the horsemen were through Hanch, and Link reached the wagon. He transferred back onto the carriage from the horse, and as he opened the canvas curtain, the princess almost screamed again, but caught herself when she recognized him.

"Goddesses!" she exclaimed, her eyes automatically going to the torn and bloody skin around the brand on his chest.

"Sorry for the scare," Link said quietly, moving to Zeyde's other side and ignoring her exclamation, which he hoped was in regards to his abrupt appearance and not his brand.

"Never mind that, what happened to your— uhh…" She hesitated. It didn't seem right to say " _your brand_ " seeing as the poor young man didn't deserve it in the slightest. He knew what she was looking at though. He shrugged it off.

"Its just a flesh wound," he answered quietly. The princess was holding a strip of linen against her brother's wound, but it the fabric was already saturated with Zeyde's blood and the scarlet fluid was seeping through her fingers. Link grimaced at the sight. The prince's face was pale. On that note, so was Princess Zelda's. Their eyes met again and he noticed that tears seemed imminent in hers.

"I've never seen this much blood in my life," the girl whispered suddenly, blinking hard. A single tear streaked down her cheek. "I think the bullet hit his humerus."

Link gave her a confused look. "He doesn't seem very humorous to me," he said entirely seriously. The princess realized that he wouldn't have been educated the way that she had been and rolled her eyes; almost laughing despite their situation.

"Never mind. I think the bullet struck his bone," she said. Link nodded, looking back to the prince's bicep. It was already swelling up badly.

"Telma, Prince Zeyde is wounded," Link said, raising his voice.

"How bad?"

"Deep arm by bullet," he replied.

"Exit wound?" This was Pipit.

"Apologies," Link said quietly to the princess as he took her brother's arm out of her grasp. The prince moaned slightly as the sailor inspected the arm. Shortly, he found what he was looking for. "Aye." At Link's response, Pipit sighed audibly. If the lead ball had been in the prince's arm still, they would have needed to extract it, but they definitely did not have the requisite tools for a job like that. Link handed Zeyde's arm back to the princess then moved to the rear of the wagon, wiping his bloodied hands on the white canvas. He peered around the flap to check on the last two soldiers of Ghirahim's and saw them falling back a bit. After the rest of their comrades had fallen, it seemed that they were less enthusiastic about catching their quarry.

Content that he wouldn't have to worry about them at the moment, he returned to his place next to the two royals. Prince Zeyde appeared to be losing consciousness."Where are we headed?" He called over the rumble of the horses' hooves and the wagon.

"Dangoro Pass," Telma replied, matching his volume.

"Dangoro Pass?! No one has been behind the Dangoro Palisade for a hundred years!" Pipit reminded her loudly.

"That's why it's the perfect place to flee to, honey! Besides," Telma continued, "the Palisade is old and decrepit now; I'm certain we'll be able to get through."

"Telma is right," Link said, "Superstition and fear keep people away from there just as much as the Dangoro Palisade itself these days." Again, the young sailor maneuvered to the rear of the wagon and brushed the canvas flap aside to watch the two remaining horsemen. Those in question were almost out of sight now; it seemed as though they were standing still. "I think we need to finish off those men," he added.

"Why? Hasn't enough blood been spilt today?" Zeyde said albeit weakly.

Link looked back at the royal young man, having thought him to be unconscious. "I wish that were so," he said, "but they're going to turn around and go tell Ghirahim where we're headed. More likely than not, Ghirahim will kill them for failing anyway."

"Link is right," Pipit said. "We need to stop them." The blonde sailor peered out the back of the wagon again, but the men were galloping the opposite direction.

"They've turned back already," Link reported.

"Bloody hell; we could never catch them with this wagon," Pipit responded, looking around the side of the canvas enclosure to see for himself.

"We just need to keep going and get to the Pass. We're still a half day's ride from the Palisade," Telma said. "By the time those soldiers get back to Ghirahim, it will almost be dark."

Link leaned out the back of the wagon and looked up at the sky. About an hour of daylight left, he estimated. "Very well," he said, turning back to the interior of the wagon. "With any luck," he added, "They will wait until dawn to set out after us." He moved back to Zeyde's side opposite the princess again. At this point, the prince seemed to be well and truly out. Link cautiously prodded his chest where he had been branded. The area of skin blazed like Din's Fire, but he wouldn't show it. Wincing slightly, he anchored his eyes on the wooden floor of the carriage.

"I'm so sorry…"

Link looked up at the young woman sitting across from him in mild surprise. "It's… fine," he said awkwardly, forcing a smile.

The princess sighed. "When we get to the pass, if there is any foliage there; specifically the Calinduela flower, I'll make a poultice to apply to it."

"Thank you, but His Highness Prince Zeyde will need that poultice far more than I," he responded quietly after a brief hesitation. She simply smiled and turned her gaze on her brother's face. Her smile faded quickly as something else came into her mind.

"My uncle…" she murmured. "I never understood how tyrannous he was until I met you." Link's eyes drifted up to meet hers at those words. She continued. "In my childhood, he acted the way a loving uncle would toward Zeyde and myself, and as time went by, I failed to see or chose not to believe that he was changing. You see," she continued, "we were raised being told by all of our elders that nobles were born into nobility because they were better in nature than those born common. I was told that commoners' lives didn't matter like nobles' lives. I _believed_ those lies. Zeyde caught on quicker than I did that they were lies. Mister Forester— "

"Please," the sailor cut in, his eyes drifting down to the rough wooden floor of the carriage. "Link is fine."

She hesitated for a moment, then accepted his statement with the slightest nod. "Link, I must tell you: Zeyde and I witnessed the demise of HRNS Loftwing from the beach of Ordon." At that revelation, Link's eyes shot back up from the floor to meet hers, widening. "We were there on a short retreat from the castle to find solitude," she explained. "When _Volvagia_ appeared and attacked your ship, my brother viewed it through his spyglass. We watched in horror as _Loftwing_ was crippled." She paused for a moment, remembering how it looked when the navy brig's mast fell. "Minutes later, we both watched in sheer amazement as a zora carried you out of the bay unconscious and laid you on the beach. We were there when the good people of Ordon took you in.

"Link, I realize now that that was the first time I had ever seen true hospitality. Before they even recognized you, they were prepared to take you in and care for you. We saw first-hand the desolation of _Volvagia_ , and so when I overheard Pipit's plea to Ghirahim denied with such contempt, I was finally forced to see the truth. The sentence the king gave Pipit - eighteen hours in the pillory - is a death sentence whether stated explicitly or not, and that isn't even taking into account the fact that Ghirahim's men left poor Pipit for dead. I cannot believe I was unable to see his tyranny before that.

"Anyhow, when I snuck out later that week and met you at the pillory and you insisted on doing the right thing regardless of the consequences… I understood then and there what true nobility is. Finally, when you went willingly with the HRNS Divine Beast and were beat by the pirates but survived their torment only to return to an unfair trial and a death sentence… It was the last straw for me." After a moment's pause, she broke eye contact and gazed at Zeyde's arm. "I'm sorry," she murmured. "Sometimes I go on and on."

"I don't mind," Link said quietly.

Silence fell between them with only the sounds of the horses' hooves and the cart's wheels filling their ears. The blonde sailor scratched at his sparse golden facial hair. "Your Highness," he began slowly. Her bright blue eyes regarded him with sincerity, waiting for him to continue. "Begging your pardon, but… Why Tetra?"

The princess's cheeks flushed and she looked down at the hem of her now-dirty pink dress. The had known this question was inevitable. "I… I once promised myself to never give my real name in the case it was ever asked of me on one of my outings. I hesitated when you asked me because I wanted to give you my true name. I wasn't brave enough though. I knew I could trust you after what you had done for Pipit, but… I just couldn't bring myself to say it."

"I understand," Link said with the barest hint of a grin. The princess was visibly relieved.

"Pardon the interruption," said Pipit, leaning through the opening at the front of the canvas enclosure. The eyes of both the princess and his fellow sailor snapped to him. "Being so close, I couldn't help but overhear you. On the subject of the pillory… Link, I never got the chance to thank you for what you did. So, thank you."

Link nodded briefly. "You're welcome."

"Your Highness," Pipit looked to the young woman sitting next to her wounded brother. "Thank you for freeing me."

"I couldn't possibly have done it alone," she replied humbly, looking from Pipit back to Link. Link's cheeks turned red. Pipit chuckled.

"Why do you think I thanked him first?" he asked playfully, smirking at her as she turned back around, her mouth agape. She quickly realized that he was jesting, and her look of incredulity morphed into a genuine laugh. Despite the divine beauty of her laughter, Link was caught off guard because of its carefree tone in light of the circumstances.

Pipit turned back around and the princess royal sighed, returning her gaze to her brother's wound. It was beginning to bleed again. Then she noticed that Link had pulled a dagger from his boot and was cutting a strip off the bottom hem of his canvas pants. He cut it in a spiral as he worked up his leg, creating one continuous strip of fabric that was roughly ten centimeters wide. He stopped just beneath his knee. She expected him to attempt to apply it to his wound and was about to offer to help because of the difficult angle at which he would be working, but then he scooted a little closer to Zeyde and began to wrap it around her brother's wounded bicep. Perhaps by now she should have expected that sort of behavior from Link, but she was still blown away at his display of altruism.

"Link," the princess began, keeping her voice low. She didn't quite know how to verbalize her thoughts though. "Thank you for doing that." She tried to smile encouragingly.

"It's the least I can do," he responded. "Thank you for rescuing me from the gallows."

"Oh, I barely had anything to do with that," she said modestly.

"Nonsense. You know that I saw you during the trial. I know that you risked a lot to get to Telma and alert her of my execution, so thank you."

She saw the sincerity in his eyes in the fading light. "You're welcome."

"By the way," he said with a slight grin, "a 'flash in the pan' is when you pull the trigger on a pistol and the spark ignites the small amount of powder in the pan but the burning of the powder in the pan doesn't get through the vent hole to ignite the main powder charge within the barrel."

"Oh," she said, then laughed quietly. "I'm glad you didn't try to explain that while fighting." The sailor nodded, his grin fading a little.

"Well," he looked out the back of the wagon, "it looks like its getting dark now. You should get some rest, Your Highness."

She nodded, yawning as if on queue. She looked around briefly, perhaps looking for an ideal place to rest her head. She settled on leaning her head on her brother's good shoulder. Link moved to the rear of the wagon and sat with his knees up and his elbows resting on them. He held aside the canvas flap and gazed out the direction they had come.

As Princess Zelda dozed off, she vaguely mused that a week ago, she would have been disgusted at the idea of sleeping sitting up in a rough wagon surrounded by commoners. Now that she was here however, there were no other people in all of Hyrule that she'd feel safer with than her new allies. No; her new _friends_.


End file.
